Business / Economic / Financial

[ This link to a somewhat more cumulative blog posts page will precede current days news since most all topics remain current in terms of impact and longer-term effect and can be searched by topical index term more easily. The same is provided since the blog site http://alpeiablog.blogspot.com has just been censored as to size by google which is typical for google as nsa / cia / gov’t shill as more are becoming aware of. The same is true for microsoft, another co. that’s seen their best days and relies on the government to maintain their monopoly. Up to now the better page http://www.scribd.com/alpeia is provided for ease of formatting and clarity thereby while the Washington Post page is the real deal but without formatting http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- srv/community/mypost/index.html?plckPersonaPage=PersonaComments&plckUserId=alpeia&newspaperUserId=alpeia (Only up to 3-11-11-you must be logged in - (Washington Post) [ Comments COMMENTS ARE CLOSED WHILE WE UPGRADE OUR SYSTEMS ] the comments are no longer archived on their site ) . The following is the cumulative archive of blog posts / topics for 2010 as the new year starts anew (and archived by quarter): http://albertpeia.com/December312010postsarchive.htm or PDF formatted version
http://albertpeia.com/December312010postsarchive.pdf ]

Eye on entertainment (Washington Post) [ I don't ordinarily 'do entertainment' but I'm compelled to comment that I was taken in on the following (I was somewhat amazed by what I falsely presumed to be Portman's 'quick study' ballet performance … not! … eh ... what can you expect from someone born in israel.), but not taken in as so many in the latter concerning that highly publicized 'threat to society'; the infamous Lindsey Lohan. 'Black Swan' double claims Portman did only 5% of dance shots...'The ballerina who served as a dancing double for Natalie Portman’s Oscar-winnning role in Black Swan tells EW she has been the victim of a “cover-up” to mislead the public about how much dancing Portman actually did in the film. “Of the full body shots, I would say 5 percent are Natalie,” says Sarah Lane, 27, an American Ballet Theatre soloist who performed many of the film’s complicated dance sequences, allowing Portman’s face to be digitally grafted onto her body. “All the other shots are me.”

...

Lane disagrees. “The shots that are just her face with arms, those shots are definitely Natalie,”..But that doesn’t show the actual dancing.” ..

Lane also says that Black Swan producer Ari Handel specifically told her not to talk about her work to the press, even though she claims there was no such stipulation in her contract. “They wanted to create this idea in people’s minds that Natalie was some kind of prodigy or so gifted in dance and really worked so hard to make herself a ballerina in a year and a half for the movie, basically because of the Oscar,” says Lane. “It is demeaning to the profession and not just to me. I’ve been doing this for 22 years…. Can you become a concert pianist in a year and a half, even if you’re a movie star?”' ]

Lohan rejects judge's plea offer in theft case (AP) [ It is common practice in the entertainment industry for 'loaners' far more expensive than the subject 'costume piece' here, to garner the benefit of the 'show and tell', particularly for this little hole in the wall in Venice. I mean, come on; this was hardly a surprise taking in a bustling store overrun by customers. Then there are the 'evidentiary' problems attendant to the venal motives of the store itself and monies received. In all, one must conclude that these invariably corrupt judges / prosecutors as corrupt steve the cooley (check out those land deals) like to bully the girls, ie., Lindsay Lohan, Winona Ryder, etc.. I'm not going to mention the guys of late who got a pass. Blatant misogyny? What else can you call it; particularly since they're letting scores of far more serious criminals out of jail, and we all know the numbers of serious violent criminals walkin' the streets with impunity in so-cal. Paris Hilton prosecutor arrested for buying cocaine (Reuters) ]

The Obama doctrine (Washington Post) [ The 'wobama doctrine'? Also known as 'b* s*' or 'bush s***'. Distinctions without a significant difference, one thing is certain. Mr. Milbank's article is nauseating.]Where Bush was all bright lines, Obama is subtle and situational.

Obama vigorously defends Libya intervention (Washington Post) [ I have nothing but disrespect for anyone who even listened to 'wobama the b' for b* s. After all, his teleprompter (in whatever form) was working overtime. Not that I'm enamored by that mental case Gadaffy (who forgot to duck) who was taken into that war criminal american fold (war criminal bush / now wobama) fairly recently as a 'partner in the war on terror' … riiiiight! … There is nothing failed presidents like wobama, bush, et als can say that's worth hearing. One word could have explained all … 'oil'. Criminal american values … what, despotic saudi arabia, war crimes nation israel, etc.? Apparently, unless their criminal, they're not american values. Drudgereport: MAG: NEW 'KILL TEAM' PHOTOS RELEASED...
REPORT: U.S. soldiers hacked off part of dead man's skull?
HORROR: Cut off 15-year-old boy's finger and kept as trophy...[We all knew the u.s. Military was recruiting / is now composed of felons, war criminals, etc.; but clearly, these are the blatant signs of serial killers – then that 360 tons of $100 bills still missing in Iraq, etc., serial thieves, particularly at the top down.)...
VIDEO: Two on motorcycle gunned down...WARNING: GRAPHIC*
PHOTOS...
500,000 MARCH IN LONDON TO PROTEST BUDGET CUTS...
Turns violent; Anarchists blitz the Ritz...
ANARCHY IN THE UK
NOT DAYS, NOT WEEKS -- LIBYA OP TO LAST MONTHS...
NATO likely to expand mission... No UN mandate to attack Gaddafi forces: Russia Russia said on Monday attacks on forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi amounted to intervention in a civil war and were not backed by the U.N. resolution authorising no-fly zones.

‘Death Squad’: Full horror emerges of how rogue U.S. brigade murdered and mutilated innocent Afghan civilians – and kept their body parts as trophies Shocking new details emerged today of how American troops formed a ‘death squad’ to randomly murder Afghan civilians and mutilate their corpses.

Defense Secretary: Libya Did Not Pose Threat to U.S., Was Not ‘Vital National Interest’ to Intervene Gates said that Libya did not pose a threat to the United States before the U.S. began its military campaign.

Gingrich admits to a double flip-flop on Libya intervention Newt Gingrich can’t make up his mind.

] The president delivers an expansive rationale for intervention in civil conflicts, arguing the mission was undertaken with the US’ closest allies.

Tech firms hiring White House staffers (Washington Post) [ Those who can, do. Those who can't, work for the u.s. government, then u.s. companies for access to the government (contracts, protection from prosecution (wall street / goldman, etc.), etc.). This incestuous relationship has not been successful for the nation, but has been lucrative for the criminal few involved. Indeed, I can personally attest with enough knowledge and experience that american technology is horrendous and typifies that old GM failed strategy of 'planned obsolescence'. Moreover, at best, america merely assembles foreign made components for the moniker 'made in the usa'; but, not because they want to, but because at best that's all they can do, and not so good at that. What america is good at is pervasive corruption in virtually anything you can think of. Criminal america's defacto bankruptcy is testament to that. / Black Swans Everywhere Nyaradi 'Black swans seem everywhere as we have a nuclear accident in Japan, war and revolutions in the Middle East, demonstrations in Britain, and a looming U.S. Government shut down on April 8th. At Wall Street Sector Selector, we remain in the defensive mode, as black swans fly across the globe...' / Weekly Indicators: Accumulating Signs of a Slowdown Stewart 'In the rear-view mirror department, 4th quarter 2010 GDP was revised back up to 3.1%. Monthly data reported this past week, however, was depressing. New home sales were recorded at an all-time low, although balanced against December's big uptick, the last three months are still better than the three months previous to them. More ominous, however, was the big decline in consumer confidence, and in particular expectations about the future. These are the worst in 2 years, and are a leading indicator. Durable goods also came in very weak...' / Bank Failure Friday Slows Despite Increased Problem Banks Suttmeier 'The FDIC List of Problem Banks rose by 24 in the fourth quarter to 884 from 860, which is 11.5% of the 7,657 FDIC-insured financial institutions, yet the FDIC has slowed the pace of closing problem banks on Bank Failure Friday...' / The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial- infowars.com Those of you who watch financial TV or read the financial media have probably heard the current market referred to as the “nothing matters” market since it is supposedly ignoring a spate of negative news.

] The revolving door between the federal government and U.S. tech companies isn’t new.

GOP has plan for Fannie, Freddie (Washington Post) [ They have a plan ... sounds like a plan ... By george, they think they have a plan ... Yes, it is 'Alice in Wonderland' time in america ... they're late, they're late, for a very important date ...] Government shutdown looms-Paul Kane (Washington Post) [ Shutdown? ... One can only hope, and pray ... after all, they can't muck up what they're not in session to f*** up ... Government shutdown looms Paul Kane (Washington Post) [

Treasuries Decline After Bullard Says Fed Should Review QE2 Bloomberg | Treasuries fell, pushing 10-year yields to the highest in more than two weeks.

The Week Ahead: Brace for a Setback

Fed Ponders Actions While Global Economy Reels The US dollar continues under acute pressure, as the world seeks an alternative reserve currency. The days and years of manipulation, fraud and criminal behavior are fast coming to an end.

400,000 Protest Budget Cuts, Anarchists Rampage in London The Guardian | Largest mass protest since the anti-Iraq war march in 2003.

G.E.’s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether NY Times | Worldwide profits: $14.2 billion; U.S. profits: $5.1 billion; tax liability: zero.

Consumers have a beef with Fed over inflation Food riots, deposed Middle Eastern despots and now this? Last week, a Texas man brandishing an assault rifle was involved in a three-hour shoot-out with police and had to be subdued with tear gas after ordering seven Beefy Crunch Burritos at a Taco Bell drive-through and being informed that their price had risen from 99 cents to $1.49.

IMF Prepares For “Threat To International Monetary System” Back in April 2010, before Waddell and Reed sold a few shares of ES, effectively destroying the market on news that Europe was insolvent, we made the following observation: “The IMF has just announced that it is expanding its New Arrangement to Borrow (NAB) multilateral facility from its existing $50 billion by a whopping $500 billion (SDR333.5 billion), to $550 billion.”

Household wealth down 23% in 2 years – Fed A rare survey of U.S. households, first performed in 2007 but repeated in 2009 in order to gauge the effects of the recession, reveals the median net worth of households fell from $125,000 in 2007 to $96,000 in 2009.

The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial Those of you who watch financial TV or read the financial media have probably heard the current market referred to as the “nothing matters” market since it is supposedly ignoring a spate of negative news.

] Bills seek to hike fees charged to borrowers and take other steps to shrink the companies.

Black Swans Everywhere Nyaradi 'Black swans seem everywhere as we have a nuclear accident in Japan, war and revolutions in the Middle East, demonstrations in Britain, and a looming U.S. Government shut down on April 8th. At Wall Street Sector Selector, we remain in the defensive mode, as black swans fly across the globe.

On My Radar
Another volatile week is now in the books and yet another lies ahead (click to enlarge). [chart http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2011/3/28/saupload_spx032611.png ] Chart courtesy of Stockcharts.com

In the chart of the S&P 500 above, we see that Friday’s close brought a “shooting star” which is composed of a gap higher at the open, higher prices during the day and then a close near the open. Within the context of an uptrend, this is a bearish pattern, as buying momentum petered out during the day.

We also see overhead resistance just ahead at the 1320-1330 level, while MACD at the bottom would contradict the bearish signs with a turn up and signal cross, albeit one that is still below the “0” line.

On the Bullish Percent Chart below, we see that supply dominates the market and that the index is in a "bear alert" and still close to overbought levels near 70% (click to enlarge). [chart http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2011/3/28/saupload_222.png ] Chart courtesy of Stockcharts.com

So on a technical basis, things appear to be mixed to bearish, notwithstanding last week’s snapback rally.

On the fundamental front, the news was mixed, as well:

Bullish News: GDP revised upward from 2.8 to 3.1%, Unemployment Claims down.

Bearish News: February Existing Home Sales down, New Home Sales at record lows, Durable Goods Orders down, Michigan Consumer Sentiment down.

Around the world, the drama continued in the Middle East as the rebels gained the upper hand in Libya, thanks to the NATO (read U.S.) no fly zone and bombing against Gaddafi assets, while Syria probably deserves to be bombed, as well, with Friday demonstrations leading to security forces firing into and killing numerous members of the civilian crowd.

In Europe, a quarter million people gathered in Britain to protest the "austerity" proposals while Portugal suffered credit downgrades, spiraling bond costs and seemed to accelerate on its wild ride towards an ECB bailout.

The sad drama in Japan continues to unfold as the nuclear plants appear to be yet uncontrolled with 1200 times the legal limit of radiation being measured in the sea near the plant. (Somehow 1200 times the legal limit remains below the level considered harmful to humans and the Japanese fishing industry.) Now it appears that a leak at one of the reactor cores is possible and the U.S. military is considering mandatory evacuations of its mammoth Yokosuka naval base.

Damage estimates put the disaster at the level of four Katrinas, making it the most expensive natural disaster the world has ever seen, and global car production is being impacted both in Japan and at home as supply chains shut down.

1/3 of global auto production could be impacted with a total of approximately 5 million cars not being built this year out of a planned 72 million. Toyota (TM) is shutting down domestic manufacturing in Japan along with shuttering factories in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, GM shut a plant in Louisiana and Ford (F) is closing one in Belgium.

The Canadians ousted their government, apparently not wanting to be outdone by the Portuguese who's leader resigned earlier in the week over the Parliament's rejection of the austerity plan to curb their deficit.

With demonstrations in Britain, the downfall of the government in Portugal and growing unrest in Germany, one can only conclude that this whole austerity idea isn't going down too well on the Continent.

Of course the same could be said of our situation here in the United States where the news is less dramatic but still volatile.

President Obama will face the nation on Monday night to explain/justify the Libyan operation while Congress grapples with the budget morass and faces a rapidly approaching deadline of April 8th at which point the government officially runs out of money and faces a shutdown.

And let's not forget the small item that "Obama Care" will be 8% more expensive than forecast and that there's a $2.3 Trillion gap between the U.S. Congressional Budget Office's estimates of the budget deficit over the next ten years of $9.5 Trillion versus the White House estimate of $7.2 Trillion.

But what's $2.3 Trillion among friends, and who's counting anyway as Dr. Bernanke continues buying nearly all of the U.S. Treasury bonds that come up for sale in these "Alice in Wonderland" days.

The black swans continue flying, and more and more the story becomes a simple war between the central banks of Europe, Japan and the United States and the black swans that circle the globe.

The Week Ahead

A huge week of data lies ahead that clearly have the power to move the markets up or down. Friday will be a monster with news on employment, manufacturing construction spending and car sales.

Monday: February Personal Income, February Personal Spending, January Pending Home Sales

Tuesday: January Case/Shiller Home Price Index, March Consumer Confidence

Wednesday: March Challenger Job Cuts, March ADP Employment

Thursday: Initial Unemployment Claims, Continuing Claims, March Chicago PMI, February Factory Orders

Friday: March Non Farm Payrolls, March Unemployment, March ISM, February Construction Spending, April Car/Truck Sales

Sector Spotlight

Leaders: (NYSEArca: ECH) iShares Chile (NYSEArca: EZA) iShares South Africa, (SLV) iShares Silver)

Laggards: (NYSEArca: TLT) iShares 20 Year Treasury (NYSEArca: REM) iShares FTSE NAREIT Mortgage REIT ...'

Weekly Indicators: Accumulating Signs of a Slowdown Stewart 'In the rear-view mirror department, 4th quarter 2010 GDP was revised back up to 3.1%. Monthly data reported this past week, however, was depressing. New home sales were recorded at an all-time low, although balanced against December's big uptick, the last three months are still better than the three months previous to them. More ominous, however, was the big decline in consumer confidence, and in particular expectations about the future. These are the worst in 2 years, and are a leading indicator. Durable goods also came in very weak. While this is a volatile indicator, over the last 6 months it has trended sideways. Did I mention that this is also a leading indicator? In short, oil's choke collar is biting into the economy.Turning now to the high-frequency weekly indicators:The BLS reported that Initial jobless claims last week were 382,000. The 4 week average is 385,000. This is the fifth week in a row that this number has been initially reported below 400,000. This bodes well for the next payrolls report.On the other hand, oil was trading at about $105.65 a barrel Friday midday, the third full week it has been above $100. It remains at a level above 4% of GDP. There WILL be a significant economic damage and I believe we are now observing the start of that damage. Gas at the pump declined $0.01 last week to $3.56 a gallon. Gasoline usage again was slightly lower than last year. I expect this comparison to deteriorate so long as the oil price spike continues.Railfax was up 5.7% YoY. Baseline traffic is now no higher than last year's levels, and cyclical traffic is only slightly higher. Waste materials are now below last year's levels. Shipments of motor vehicles, however, continued to improve YoY. Intermodal freight's rate of advance over last year declined last week. With the exception of motor vehicles, rail freight is now also signalling a significant slowdown.The Mortgage Bankers' Association reported an increase of 2.7% in seasonally adjusted mortgage applications last week. This series has meandered generally in a flat range since last June. On the plus side, this is the longest time since 2006 that this series has gone without a major decline. Refinancing also increased another 2.7%, but despite that remains near its lows since last July.The American Staffing Association Index remained at 91. This series has stalled at the 90-91 level for 6 weeks. It is signalling stagnation, not growth, and is stalled relative to its pre-recession peak.The ICSC reported that same store sales for the week of March 19 rose 3.0% YoY, and decreased -0.1% week over week. Shoppertrak reported a 4.0% YoY gain for the week ending March 19, and a WoW gain of 3.9%. Unlike almost every other series, these two series' YoY comparisons have been improving over the last month.Weekly BAA commercial bond rates declined -.10% to 5.98%. This compares with a -0.15% deline in the yields of 10 year treasuries to 3.29%. Both series are down from recent highs. This was the second week in which the relative move in corporate bonds signalled weakness.M1 was unchanged w/w, up 0.5% M/M, but up a strong 9.0% YoY, so Real M1 is up 7.8%. M2 was down -0.3% w/w, up 0.3% M/M and up 4.6% YoY, so Real M2 is up 2.4%. M2 is back into the "yellow zone" below 2.5%, but M1 is still strongly in the "green zone" as it has been for several years.Adjusting +1.07% due to the recent tax compromise, the Daily Treasury Statement showed that for the first 17 days of March, $135.5 B was collected vs. $134.6 B a year ago, for a gain of +0.6% YoY. For the last 20 days, $162.1 B was collected vs. $150.9 B a year ago, for a gain of $11.2 B, of over 7.4%. I suggest using this series with extra caution, because the adjustment for the withholding tax compromise is only a best guess, and may be significantly incorrect.For the first time since mid-2010, the LEI may have a negative month in March. Consumer confidence, durable goods, and (Feb.) housing permits are all down strongly. The stock market and money supply look like they will record essentially neutral readings. Only the bond spread yield and initiall unemployment claims look like strong positives. It is worth noting, on the plus side, that ECRI's growth indicator continues to be positive, and they are not revising their forecast of continued growth. Neverthelss, as I said at the outset, it appears that the Oil choke collar is indeed beginning to constrict the economy.Finally, the Census Bureau reported Friday that the Latino population has increased to 50.5 million people, or about 16% of the total US population. All of which make Los Estados Unidos the third most populous Latin American country after Brazil and Mexico (surpassing Argentina and Columbia).'

On Investor Uncertainty, Stock Market Fluctuations and Unemployment Hansen 'Uncertainty causes most to delay decisions relating to their future.

Investors in the last few weeks faced with uncertainty following the Japanese tsunami and reactor meltdown have jumped in and out of stocks.

Dave Rosenberg at Gluskin Sheff this past week detailed the differences in risk to investors in 2011 compared to 2010. Uncertainty, appears to be on the rise.

click to enlarge images [chart http://albertpeia.com/z_pimco11-3-23-2011.png ]

My colleague Ellen Beeson Zentner, Vice President & Senior U.S. Macro Economist at Bank of Tokyo – Mitsubishi (BTMU) pointed out certain correlations this week between stock market volatility and jobs.

Volatility, especially in the stock market, is a bad thing. If it rises sharply, and persists, it has the ability to be a job killer and exhibits the same affect on business investment as well. The most recent example can be taken from the European debt crisis, which flared in April 2010. The labor market had just turned in early 2010 and job growth looked to be accelerating (see Graph II), then stock market volatility spiked and by May businesses had slowed hiring in the face of the uncertain economic outlook. Just as happened during the EU debt crisis last year, we don’t believe businesses will conduct layoffs if volatility continues. Rather, it would result in a slowdown in hiring as plans are put on the back-burner.

[chart http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2011/3/27/saupload_z_weekly11.png ]

There is no question uncertainty is rising. The question we should be asking is how much of this uncertainty translates to business. Looking at Dave Rosenberg’s list of risks, many appear to be investor risks.

The global economy is not gearing up in anticipation of breakout growth. Companies are faced with rising commodity prices – and it does not take a genius corporate executive to know rising material and component prices are major headwinds.

The predominant risk to business is rising commodity prices at a time there is little wage growth in the advanced economies. Consumers as a group remain near their debt limits – and rising costs translates to more selective spending.

Econintersect suggests that commodity prices themselves may be the natural global economic regulator at this juncture – and not the economy killer suggested by some. With business already lean and mean, price movements slow and speed up economies without destructive gutting seen in 2008.

Business that has survived the Great Recession is operating with excess capacity and cash, and can adjust for price inflation – all while maintaining a profitable bottom line.

And with any luck get a few major technological breakthroughs along the way. Nothing spurs business more than exploring ways to reduce costs.

Economic News this Week:

Econintersect’s economic forecast for March 2011 points to a moderately improving economy with all segments of its non-monetary index positive. This week the Weekly Leading Index (WLI) from ECRI declined slightly from 7.1% to 6.5%. This level implies the business conditions six months from now will be approximately the same or slightly improved compared to today. [chart http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2011/3/27/saupload_z_weekly_indexes1.png ]

Initial unemployment claims in this week’s release was essentially unchanged due to backward revision to previous weeks. The data for the last two months as been quite noisy, and it remains important to follow the four week moving average for analysis of unemployment to smooth out the reporting idiosyncrasies. Overall, the trend line for jobs loss is improving – and is now roughly the same as mid-2008.[chart http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2011/3/27/saupload_z_unemployment1.png ]

The data released this week is considered positive and consistent with Econintersect’s January, February and March forecasts of slightly to moderately improving economic conditions overall. All data – except housing – remains up year-over-year (YoY) – although less good as it is being compared to relatively strong 2010 data. All trend lines continue to show continuing YoY growth.

Weekly Economic Release Scorecard:

Item	Headline	Analysis
Final 4Q2010 GDP	Revised Up	GDP has gone from 3.2% (advanced) to 2.8% (2nd release) – and now the final release is 3.1%
February Durable Goods	Down	Not necessarily down – just less good
Federal Reserve 2010 Financial Statement		Compare QE1 to QE2
Global Economic Assessment		Questions whether anyone can correctly assess risk in 2nd half of 2011
Future Jobs Growth		CBO envisions a 2000 decade tepid jobs growth until 2021
February Truck Tonnage	Down	Up YoY, data just less good than January
February New Home Sales	Down	Worst data ever
Electric Generation Fuel Comparisons		Compared Coal to Uranium as tomorrow’s fuels
Japan’s Meltdown		How it effected consumer metrics
February Existing Home Sales	Down	Yes, down YoY against a 2010 incentive driven home sales month
February CFNAI	Down	Up because of backward revision
Big Banks		Explores limits of large banking institutions globally
Micro-Cap Stocks		Clive Corcoran finds Micro-caps are outperforming
Hated Investments		Jeffrey Dow Jones explores profiting from investments most hate
Investing Week		Jeff Miller maintains investors must look beyond the headlines
Stock Market Prices		Erik McCurdy argues the market may be beginning a topping process
Libya		Elliott Morss questions what drove international involvement in Libya.
Economic Chernobyl		Rick Davis compares the elements of the Chernobyl meltdown to the USA economic situation
USA Treasuries		GEAB believes the USA treasury market will collapse in 2011 for a variety of reasons
UM Consumer Sentiment	Down	Plummets 77.5 to 67.5

Bankruptcy this Week: Epic Energy Services and its subsidiary, Epic Integrated Services, GeoPharma

Failed Banks this Week: [chart http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2011/3/27/saupload_z_failed_banks.png ]

Bank Failure Friday Slows Despite Increased Problem Banks Suttmeier 'The FDIC List of Problem Banks rose by 24 in the fourth quarter to 884 from 860, which is 11.5% of the 7,657 FDIC-insured financial institutions, yet the FDIC has slowed the pace of closing problem banks on Bank Failure Friday. As the first quarter draws to an end the FDIC has closed only 26 community banks year to date, including one last Friday.
Since the end of 2007 the FDIC has closed 348 banks on the way to my predicted 500 to 800 bank closings into 2012 / 2013. Many of the remaining community banks have the same overexposures to commercial real estate loans including construction & development loans that cause the 348 banks to fail. If the banking system was improving the number of problem banks would be declining not rising.
There are 1265 community banks that remain overexposed to C&D loans and another 1358 that are overexposed to CRE loans excluding C&D loans. This includes nonfarm and nonresidential real estate loans. The total of 2623 community banks is 34.3% of all banks that still needs to unwind risk exposures.Looking at pipeline risk, which is the ratio of CRE loans to CRE loan commitments, 4479 community banks have a pipeline that’s 80% or more funded, which is 58.5% of all FDIC- insured financial institutions. Such a high ratio indicates that borrowers are late in making loan payments.
Total assets in the banking system declined $51.8 billion in the fourth quarter 2010 with C&D loans down $32.5 billion. Even so C&D loans still total $321.6 billion with nonfarm, non-residential real estate loans at $1.07 trillion. Potential problem loans thus total nearly $1.4 trillion, which continues to show considerable stress in the banking system. This stress translates into tighter lending standards with banks with these overexposures reluctant to lend.You cannot have a job-creating sustained economic recovering with the housing market depressed and with continued stress in the banking system.Not helping matters is fact that US Treasury yields are on the rise once again. On March 16 the yield on the 10-Year US Treasury note was as low as 3.139. Last Friday’s close was 3.443. This is pushing up mortgage rates once again.In March we learned that existing home sales declined 9.6% in February with New Home Sales plunging 16.9% to a record low. Home prices fell 5.2% year over year. This is a major economic risk.

Stocks Remain Overvalued Fundamentally -- We are not operating under a ValuEngine Valuation Warning, but 59.4% of all stocks are overvalued. In addition all 16 sectors are overvalued with five by double-digit percentages.'

The Behavior of U.S. Treasury Yields Post Bernanke’s QE2 Wall St Cheat Sheet 'The behavior of Treasuries (NYSE:TLT) is an area of special interest in light of the Fed’s second round of quantitative easing, which was formally announced on November 3rd. The first chart shows the percent change for a basket of eight Treasuries since November 4th. Yields had risen dramatically since then. However, we’ve saw an accelerating reversal from mid-February until March 16th. But St. Patrick’s Day was the beginning of a renewed rise in yields...[charts]'

Inconvenient Economics: Despite QE2, Disposable Income Drops - Wiggin 'Gold slumped about $25 over the weekend. At last check, the spot price was $1,421 per ounce. Silver, too, got whacked early on but recovered and at $37.17, it remains $3 above where it was only a month ago.

We’re sure traders are covering bets and taking profits, but we detected another sell signal for the yellow metal, and it’s a specious one, at best.

“Stock prices rose and long-term interest rates fell when investors began to anticipate the most recent action,” Fed Chair Ben Bernanke wrote in a Washington Post Op-Ed following the announcement of QE2 last November. “Higher stock prices will boost consumer wealth and help increase confidence,” he continued, “which can also spur spending.”

If Joe Wage Earner sees a bigger 401(k) balance, the theory goes he’ll go out to Home Depot and redo the kitchen.

Indeed, with the S&P above 1,310, the “wealth effect” does seem to be at play once again. Consumer spending rose 0.7% last month, the largest increase since October 2010. Add to that the fact that most Americans got their Social Security withholding slashed by one-third starting the first of the year, thanks to the stimulus rushed through Congress at the end of last year, and the Fed governors want you to know it.

Philadelphia Fed chief Charles Plosser hinted at monetary tightening in the “not-too-distant future.” last Friday afternoon. “The economy has gained significant strength and momentum since last summer and seems to be on a much firmer foundation going forward,” he said.

On Saturday, St. Louis Fed chief James Bullard, reading from the same playbook, went a step further. He let it drop that QE2 might be wound down before its scheduled June 30 end date because “the economy is looking pretty good.”

The dollar index has even popped, firming to 76.4, a full point higher than it stood at this time a week ago, when it touched a 15-month low.

Unfortunately, disposable income, with “inflation” factored in, fell 0.1% last month, according to the Commerce Department. It’s the first drop since September. Consumer prices for gas and food rose in February at their fastest clip since July 2008.'

Treasuries Decline After Bullard Says Fed Should Review QE2 Bloomberg | Treasuries fell, pushing 10-year yields to the highest in more than two weeks.

The Week Ahead: Brace for a Setback

Fed Ponders Actions While Global Economy Reels The US dollar continues under acute pressure, as the world seeks an alternative reserve currency. The days and years of manipulation, fraud and criminal behavior are fast coming to an end.

400,000 Protest Budget Cuts, Anarchists Rampage in London The Guardian | Largest mass protest since the anti-Iraq war march in 2003.

G.E.’s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether NY Times | Worldwide profits: $14.2 billion; U.S. profits: $5.1 billion; tax liability: zero.

Consumers have a beef with Fed over inflation Food riots, deposed Middle Eastern despots and now this? Last week, a Texas man brandishing an assault rifle was involved in a three-hour shoot-out with police and had to be subdued with tear gas after ordering seven Beefy Crunch Burritos at a Taco Bell drive-through and being informed that their price had risen from 99 cents to $1.49.

IMF Prepares For “Threat To International Monetary System” Back in April 2010, before Waddell and Reed sold a few shares of ES, effectively destroying the market on news that Europe was insolvent, we made the following observation: “The IMF has just announced that it is expanding its New Arrangement to Borrow (NAB) multilateral facility from its existing $50 billion by a whopping $500 billion (SDR333.5 billion), to $550 billion.”

Household wealth down 23% in 2 years – Fed A rare survey of U.S. households, first performed in 2007 but repeated in 2009 in order to gauge the effects of the recession, reveals the median net worth of households fell from $125,000 in 2007 to $96,000 in 2009.

The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial Those of you who watch financial TV or read the financial media have probably heard the current market referred to as the “nothing matters” market since it is supposedly ignoring a spate of negative news.

Portugal Latest Stop on Euro’s On Well-Traveled Path to Failure As the world’s eyes remain riveted on disaster and recovery in Japan and political upheaval in the Mideast, Eurozone nations continue their struggle to salvage the euro.

Glenn Beck And The Federal Reserve Last Friday, Glenn Beck did an entire show on the Federal Reserve. It had been a highly publicized show and many people were wondering how Beck was going to handle the subject.

Fed Ponders Actions While Global Economy Reels The US dollar continues under acute pressure, as the world seeks an alternative reserve currency. The days and years of manipulation, fraud and criminal behavior are fast coming to an end.

(3-28-11) Dow 12,198 -23 Nasdaq 2,730 -12 S&P 500 1,310 -4 [CLOSE- OIL $103.98 (-54% for year 2008) (RECORD TRADING HIGH $147.27) GAS $3.65 (reg. gas in LAND OF FRUITS AND NUTS $4.00 REG./ $4.05 MID-GRADE/ $4.20 PREM./ $4.27 DIESEL) / GOLD $1,417 (+24% for year 2009) / SILVER $36.86 (+47% for year 2009) PLATINUM $1,735 (+56% for year 2009) Metal News for the Day / DOLLAR= .71 EURO, 81 YEN, .62 POUND STERLING, ETC. (How low can you go - LOWER)/ http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/update 10 YR NOTE YIELD 3.43% …..… AP Business Highlights ...Yahoo Market Update... T. Rowe Price Weekly Recap – Stocks / Bonds / Currencies - Domestic / International This Is a Secular Bear Market and The End of Buy and Hold … and Hope MARKET MANIPULATION AND HOW THE LATEST BUBBLE-FRAUD PRE-COMING CRASH IS BEING ACCOMPLISHED 3-11-10 The bull market that never was/were beyond wall street b.s. when measured in gold Property Values Projected to Fall 12% in 2010 Jan 31, 2010 THE COMING MARKET CRASH / CORRECTION 1-28-10 Maierhofer (01-15-10) 11 Clear Signs Economy Sinking Economic Black Hole 1-22-10: 20 Reasons Why The U.S. Economy Is Dying And Is Simply Not Going To Recover 1-7-10 Crash is coming! ‘WORST ECONOMIC COLLAPSE EVER’ Must Read Economic / Financial Data This Depression is just beginning The coming depression… thecomingdepression.net The Next Wave of Collapse is Coming Sooner than you think Sliding Back Into the Great Depression ABSOLUTELY, ABSURDLY, RIDICULOUS! SELL / TAKE PROFITS WHILE YOU CAN SINCE MUCH, MUCH WORSE TO COME!

National / World

MELTDOWN: Plutonium Found In Soil At Fukushima As Cover Up Continues Steve Watson | Deadly radioactive water leaking into soil and ocean.

Soros’ Media Matters Declares War On Alternative Media Kurt Nimmo | Alex Jones and the Alternative media are more of a threat to the establishment than any number of corporate media coiffured talking heads.

Pseudo-Intellectual Hit Piece Emblematic Of Crumbling Elitist Media Paul Joseph Watson | New York Magazine smear portrays Alex Jones as paranoid, Fox News-wannabe while assuring readers that malevolent global elite doesn’t exist.

Soros Libs Engage in Agit-prop Sabotage Against Fox and Conservatives Infowars.com | Democrats and libs declare guerrila warfare against the First Amendment.

Nuclear Expert Calls Global Warming Alarmist Monbiot “Criminally Irresponsible” For Downplaying Fukushima Prominent nuclear and radiation expert Dr. Christopher Busby has slammed British global warming alarmist George Monbiot as being “criminally irresponsible” for writing a series of articles for the Guardian in which Monbiot downplays the threat of radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in a bid to shore up his claims about man-made climate change being a far deadlier concern.

Highly radioactive water spreads at Japan plant Highly radioactive water has leaked from a reactor turbine building at a stricken nuclear plant in Japan, the operator said Monday, adding to fears the liquid is seeping into the environment.

Radiation levels at Japan nuclear plant reach new highs As radiation levels at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant reached a new high Sunday, workers contended with dark, steamy conditions in their efforts to repair the facility’s cooling system and stave off a full-blown nuclear meltdown.

No UN mandate to attack Gaddafi forces: Russia Russia said on Monday attacks on forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi amounted to intervention in a civil war and were not backed by the U.N. resolution authorising no-fly zones.

‘Death Squad’: Full horror emerges of how rogue U.S. brigade murdered and mutilated innocent Afghan civilians – and kept their body parts as trophies Shocking new details emerged today of how American troops formed a ‘death squad’ to randomly murder Afghan civilians and mutilate their corpses.

Ron Paul Calls for End to Empire in N.H. Visit Voters who are hoping for a more bipartisan approach to problem solving in Washington, D.C. might not like what they hear from Congressman Ron Paul.

Defense Secretary: Libya Did Not Pose Threat to U.S., Was Not ‘Vital National Interest’ to Intervene Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that Libya did not pose a threat to the United States before the U.S. began its military campaign against the North African country.

Gingrich admits to a double flip-flop on Libya intervention Newt Gingrich can’t make up his mind.

TV Ads Normalize Thuggish TSA Behavior Kurt Nimmo | Corporate advertising makes light of Gestapo behavior.

When Does a Nuclear Disaster End? Never Tony Cartalucci | It will be hundreds of years before the area around the destroyed reactor is inhabitable again.

Poll: U.S. Will Send Ground Forces into Libya Kurt Nimmo | Russian intelligence believes coalition of globalists will send ground troops into Libya next month.

Fukushima Reactor 2: Radiation 10 Million Times Above Safe Level Infowars.com | IAEA has warned the crisis could go on for months.

A Simple Way To Resolve The True Radioactivity At Reactor 2 Zero Hedge | Here is a simple way to clear up the flap over the earlier “false” reporting on whether or not TEPCO screwed up.

Weather Models Show High Levels of Radiation Entering U.S. from Japan Kurt Nimmo | UN bureaucrat says radiation release could go on for months as authorities are clueless on how to stop the disaster.

Censored TV Ad Banned from Airwaves Infowars.com | A television ad that features Alex Jones’ narration has been banned from broadcast.

TEPCO Admits To Another Cover Up As Radioactivity Appears in Seawater Zero Hedge | Radioactivity at a concentration 1,250.8 times than the legal limit.

Libyan Rebel Leader Admits Connection to CIA al-Qaeda Asset in Iraq Kurt Nimmo | It turns out the Libyan rebel commander is al-Qaeda, that is to say an intelligence operative.

Ron Paul On Libyan Attack Infowars.com | Appearing on CNN, Paul roundly criticized Obama’s war against the people of Libya.

Drudge: Reporter Confined in Closet During Biden Fundraiser

Drudge Report | Orlando Sentinel reporter confined in a closet this week to keep him from mingling with high-powered guests gathered for a Democratic fundraiser.

Sarkozy the Zionist Threatens Arabs with Death and Destruction

Pentagon to Target Populated Urban Areas in Libya Kurt Nimmo

Censored TV Ad Banned from Airwaves A television ad for EndofAmericaVideo.com that features Alex Jones’ narration has been banned from broadcasting on nearly every major cable and satellite network.

Nearly Half of U.S. EPA’s West Coast Radiation Monitors Might be Out Sick Eight of the EPA’s 18 West Coast monitors might not be working!

Lack of data from Japan distresses nuclear experts Nuclear scientists and policy experts say the quality and quantity of information coming out of Fukushima has left gaping holes in their understanding of the nuclear disaster nearly two weeks after it began.

High radiation levels at Japanese plant raise new worry Highly radioactive water has been found at a second reactor at a crippled nuclear power station in Japan, the plant’s operator said, as fears of contamination escalated two weeks after a huge earthquake and tsunami battered the complex.

Radioactive Cesium With A Half-Life Of Approximately 30 Years Is Being Released At About 60 Percent Of Chernobyl Levels Why does it seem as though the nuclear crisis in Japan just keeps getting worse with each passing day? TEPCO has announced that extremely radioactive water is now leakingfrom reactors 1, 2, and 3 at their damaged nuclear complex.

GoogleEarth Based 3D Map Of Real-Time Radioactivity Distribution In Japan; Projected Global Radioactivity Dispersion Confirming that in a time of instantaneous crowdsourced information distribution and analysis, any attempt by a government to institute an information blackout of any nature is doomed to failure, is the following amazing Google Earth-based 3D interactive map of Geiger readings from Japan.

Libyan Rebel Leader Admits Links To “Al Qaeda” Fighters The commander of anti Gaddafi rebels forces in Libya has admitted that among the ranks of those fighting against the government are islamic militants who have fought and killed US troops in Iraq, otherwise known as “al qaeda” fighters.

Gates Instructs Syrian Military to Impose Color Revolution As we have documented, the so-called popular revolutions spreading across the Middle East are orchestrated affairs unleashed by the globalists, their NGOs, and agencies of the U.S. government.

Paul Watson: Japanese Authorities Admit Deadly MOX Plutonium Reactor Is Leaking Paul Watson sits in for Alex and leads the discussion on the latest developments in Japan.

Will Financial Problems In Portugal Cause The European Debt Crisis To Spiral Out Of Control? Most Americans have no idea just how bad the financial problems over in Europe are right now. The truth is that the entire European financial system is teetering on the brink of disaster.

Libya: The Objective of “Humanitarian Bombing” is Death and Destruction The objective of the media disinformation campaign is to blatantly obfuscate the loss of life of civilians. Western media reports on casualties are heavily convoluted. Tomahawk missiles and aerial bombings are upheld as instruments of peace and democracy. They do not result in civilian deaths.

Gaddafi: America’s easy target? The US opts not to interfere in the internal affairs of its allies in the region, no matter how grave the situation becomes.

Barack Obama to lawmakers: We won’t kill Qadhafi President Barack Obama told congressional leaders there are no plans to use the U.S. military to assassinate Libyan strongman Muammar Qadhafi — despite the administration’s policy of seeking regime change in the North African country — according to sources familiar with a Friday White House Situation Room briefing.

Libyan rebels regain Ajdabiya after RAF Tornado jets wreak havoc on Gaddafi’s heavy units Libyan rebels have regained control of the eastern gateway city of Ajdabiya after international airstrikes on Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

Deaths reported as demos held in Syrian cities Protesters took the streets in a number of Syrian cities Friday to demand major change, dismissing promises of reforms by the authorities as rights activists reported deaths in police shootings.

NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan Claims Civilians A NATO airstrike targeting Taliban fighters accidentally killed and wounded an unspecified number of civilians Friday in the southern province of Helmand, one of the most insecure regions in the country, NATO officials said on Saturday.

Celente: Would US target Libya if they had broccoli instead of oil? Fresh air strikes have rocked the Libyan capital Tripoli, with reports of more civilian casualties. Gerald Celente from the Trends Research Institute says NATO is just a cover for the U.S. and the Libyan mission is about gaining control of the country’s oil.

Farage: Rompuy Says Libya Attack About “Regime Change” The UN says it’s alarmed by the looming humanitarian crisis in Libya. Officials warn food supply lines have been disrupted and over three hundred thousand refugees have already fled the country. Nigel Farage, MEP and leader of the UK Independence Party, believes the whole military strategy in Libya has not been thought through.

NATO Aggression on Yugoslavia: Challenging an Illegal War The Centre for Research on Globalization presents Diana Johnstone, filmed in Belgrade, Serbia at the March 24, 2009 commemoration of NATO aggression against Yugoslavia.

Drudgereport: MAG: NEW 'KILL TEAM' PHOTOS RELEASED...
REPORT: U.S. soldiers hacked off part of dead man's skull?
HORROR: Cut off 15-year-old boy's finger and kept as trophy...[We all knew the u.s. Military was recruiting / is now composed of felons, war criminals, etc.; but clearly, these are the blatant signs of serial killers – then that 360 tons of $100 bills still missing in Iraq, etc., serial thieves, particularly at the top down.)...
VIDEO: Two on motorcycle gunned down...***WARNING: GRAPHIC***
PHOTOS...
500,000 MARCH IN LONDON TO PROTEST BUDGET CUTS...
Turns violent; Anarchists blitz the Ritz...
ANARCHY IN THE UK
NOT DAYS, NOT WEEKS -- LIBYA OP TO LAST MONTHS...
NATO likely to expand mission...
Energized Muslim Brotherhood eyes a prize...
Unrest in Syria, Jordan Poses New Test...
Clinton: U.S. won't intervene...
REPORTER CONFINED IN CLOSET DURING BIDEN'S FLA FUNDRAISER...
'Extremely inappropriate'...
OBAMA DEFENDS...
'America has played a unique role as an anchor of global security'... NOT IN OVAL OFFICE...
NETS BALKED AT PRIMETIME ADDRESS...
HILLARY OFF TO LONDON TOWN...
WAR COST: $600 MILLION, IN 6 DAYS...
Radiation levels at nuclear plant reach new highs...
100,000X NORMAL...
Radioactive Water Extends One Mile Into Ocean...
Trace Amounts Found in Florida...
At the gates of stricken Fukushima nuke plant...
Radiation levels highest since crisis began...
'Bad Readings' Plague Effort...
Concern grows over sea contamination...
Tokyo blackouts to resume Monday...
Radioactivity detected in China...
And Nevada... And SC, Fla... And Mass...
Gaps in US radiation monitoring system revealed...
Four of EPA's 11 Sensors in CA Were Down...
Obama says he didn't know of fed op smuggling guns into Mexico...
SOROS GROUP PLOTS 'GUERILLA WAR', 'SABOTAGE' ON FOXNEWS...
AL QAEDA FIGHTERS JOIN LIBYAN REBELS...
'Al Qaeda snatched missiles'...
Boehner: Obama needs to 'provide clarity' on military objective...
U.S. officials assisted visit by Gadhafi son just before uprising...
Despite airstrikes, Tripoli residents live in terror...
British Minister Warns of Another Lockerbie...
'Black Swan' double claims Portman did only 5% of dance shots...'The ballerina who served as a dancing double for Natalie Portman’s Oscar-winnning role in Black Swan tells EW she has been the victim of a “cover-up” to mislead the public about how much dancing Portman actually did in the film. “Of the full body shots, I would say 5 percent are Natalie,” says Sarah Lane, 27, an American Ballet Theatre soloist who performed many of the film’s complicated dance sequences, allowing Portman’s face to be digitally grafted onto her body. “All the other shots are me.”

Lane’s claim follows a March 23 L.A. Times article in which Portman’s fiancé and Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied said Lane’s work in the film was far less significant. “There are articles now talking about her dance double [American Ballet Theatre dancer Sarah Lane] that are making it sound like [Lane] did a lot of the work, but really, she just did the footwork, and the fouettés, and one diagonal [phrase] in the studio,” he said. “Honestly, 85 percent of that movie is Natalie.”

Lane disagrees. “The shots that are just her face with arms, those shots are definitely Natalie,” she says. “But that doesn’t show the actual dancing.” Lane admits that she was never promised a particular title for her six weeks of work on the film, though she was disappointed to see that she is credited only as as “Hand Model,” “Stunt Double,” and “Lady in the Lane” (a brief walk-on role).

Lane also says that Black Swan producer Ari Handel specifically told her not to talk about her work to the press, even though she claims there was no such stipulation in her contract. “They wanted to create this idea in people’s minds that Natalie was some kind of prodigy or so gifted in dance and really worked so hard to make herself a ballerina in a year and a half for the movie, basically because of the Oscar,” says Lane. “It is demeaning to the profession and not just to me. I’ve been doing this for 22 years…. Can you become a concert pianist in a year and a half, even if you’re a movie star?”...'

Europe wrestles with debt crisis (Washington Post) [ Yet they're doing these wars like they have money to burn. And, at the rate they're printing these fiat currencies, burning will be about all the worthless paper will be good for.

350 British special forces already deep inside Libya… and more are ready to be deployed Hundreds of British troops have been deployed deep inside Libya targeting Colonel Gaddafi’s forces – and more are on standby.

Drudgereport: MOODY'S THREATENS TO DOWNGRADE BRITAIN'S DEBT...
STUDY: US Finances Rank Near Worst in World...
Libya Mission 'clouded by confusion'...
White House: Days, not weeks...
France: Weeks, not days...
Dem Rep: Obama told me US would be 'in and out'...

How Can America Create Wealth If Our Industrial Base Is Destroyed? Any economy that constantly consumes far more wealth than it produces is eventually going to be in for a very hard fall. Many point to relatively stable GDP numbers as evidence that the U.S. economy is doing okay, but the truth is that we have had to borrow increasingly massive amounts of money to keep GDP numbers up at that level.

Beware the Fed Driven Market Parnell ' A review of the headlines heading into trading on March 23, 2011 was notable:

* Portugal braces for government collapse over austerity vote

* Ireland’s 10-year bond yield hits record at over 10%

* Bombing in Israel bus station

* Yemen’s pro-U.S. leader in talks on exit

* U.S. new home sales lowest on record, prices fall to December 2003 levels

* Federal Reserve rejects Bank of America dividend raise

Censored TV Ad Banned from Airwaves [ This presentation is really quite good; indeed, so good, I archived it on my website out of fear of censorship / blacklist / ban. Why your local Hospital could soon shut down (Ad) http://www.stansberryresearch.com/pro/1011PSIENDVD/LPSILC43/PR [ The instant video on the economic / financial collapse from Stansberry and Associates is so well researched and succinctly presented that I’ve archived same on my website; also, because the facts and views presented comport with the facts and views I’ve presented on my site which I believe to be correct. This is a must-view, must-see that I strongly recommend!
The complete url: http://www.albertpeia.com/stansberrysinvestmentadvisory.flv ( 146mb – approx. 1 hr. 17 min. ) http://www.albertpeia.com/stansberrysinvestmentadvisory.mp4 ( 374mb ) Written text of presentation (without pictures / charts)

Fears grow about reactor leak (Washington Post) [ Not to be alarmist for the sake of fear-mongering; but clearly, as indeed they should. This is a very big deal. Drudgereport: Fears rise that Japan could sell off U.S. Debt ... [ Not only selling ... they won't be buying! ]...
Dangerous breach suspected at Japan nuke plant...
WATER RADIATION 10,000X NORMAL...
Japan Quietly Evacuates Wider Radius From Reactors...
Toll rises to 27,000 dead, missing...

Japanese Authorities Admit Deadly MOX Plutonium Reactor Is Leaking Paul Joseph Watson | Has cover-up of leakage been ongoing since massive March 14 explosion?

Radiation: Nothing to See Here? Administration spokespeople continuously claim “no threat” from the radiation reaching the US from Japan, just as they did with oil hemorrhaging into the Gulf. Perhaps we should all whistle “Don’t worry, be happy” in unison. A thorough review of the science, however, begs a second opinion.

As TEPCO Reports Increased Possible Radiation Release, Japan Expands Voluntary Evacuation Radius To 30 km The latest news from Fukushima continue progressing from bad to worse. Which of course means that the (physical) silver lining around the mushroom cloud will be that much more potent: after all, the greater the destruction, the higher the Russell 2000. Just ask the Keynesians.

Japanese Authorities Admit Deadly MOX Plutonium Reactor Is Leaking While the mass media has all but dropped its interest in the Fukushima crisis to focus on Libya and meaningless side-issues like the death of Elizabeth Taylor, the nuclear nightmare only worsens, as Japanese authorities admit that reactor number 3, which is the only reactor to contain MOX plutonium, is now leaking.

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Fell More Than Forecast in March Bloomberg

Household wealth down 23% in 2 years – Fed A rare survey of U.S. households, first performed in 2007 but repeated in 2009 in order to gauge the effects of the recession, reveals the median net worth of households fell from $125,000 in 2007 to $96,000 in 2009.

The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial Those of you who watch financial TV or read the financial media have probably heard the current market referred to as the “nothing matters” market since it is supposedly ignoring a spate of negative news.

As Adjusted Monetary Base Rises By Half A Trillion In 2011, Treasury Runs Out Of Debt Ceiling Delay Measures

Gold And Silver Are Thriving While The U.S. Dollar Is Dying Have you heard the news? Gold hit another new record high on Thursday. It reached $1447.40 before settling back a bit. Most people responded to that news with a yawn.

Reexamining human nature [ Reexamining? Just don't look too closely; else there goes your book. 'Dark side of human nature', a cliche. 'Man's inhumanity to man', a recurring theme bandied about for so long it's now a proverb. Emotion / reason, character / IQ; such mental masturbation ignores stark realities, the most prominent of which is that in evolutionary terms vis-a-vis the species, though I hate to be the spoiler, 'time has run out'. After all, in the last analysis, what can you really expect from a species derived from apes, notochordates, and initially single celled organisms. One might even say in light of such humble beginnings, 'hey, not bad!' I would not be one of them. ( Neanderthals, Humans Interbred, DNA Proves

You're a Neanderthal: Genes say yes — a little bit (AP) Neanderthals and people interbred, fossil analysis finds For more info on man’s humble beginnings, see here http://www.albertpeia.com/anthroindex1.htm [ I’m adding this here, having seen while flipping channels an anthropologist talking up somewhat speciously the brain size of Neanderthals. The important but missed point here was potential ‘brain-power’ unrealized. Think of it this way: In the life-threateningly cold climes they inhabited, pre-occupation with warmth, fire, wood for fire, food, mere survival usurped all their waking moments. Have you ever tried to study, learn, think clearly (and new thoughts / neurogenesis thereby) under such harsh and perilous conditions; successfully? Neither could they. ]

FOUND: MISSING LINK BETWEEN APES AND MAN.... `These stories, and the many like it, are old news and I subscribe to the more studied view that there is no “missing link” per se and in my view they are distinctions without significant differences.`

10-5-09 Postscript: Professor *****,
I felt compelled to thank you again for the add; not to curry your favor but indeed to express profound thanks inasmuch as this is probably the last formal course at a formal educational institution I'll ever take; and among the most important. While I had bought at discount a library-discarded 1993 Anthropology by Embers text, though meaning to read same never quite got to it. I am astounded by the substantial amount of time involved in the evolutionary process, not that I ever stopped to think about it, and one must come away with the sense of 'and all that...for this?'. This course should be required curriculum along with psychology, sociology, etc., but probably won't be owing to what is, as it should be, a very humbling educational experience for any member of the human race.
Regards,
Al Peia ). ] In “The Social Animal,” David Brooks reveals what it means when emotion clashes with reason and character is at war with IQ.

350 British special forces already deep inside Libya… and more are ready to be deployed Hundreds of British troops have been deployed deep inside Libya targeting Colonel Gaddafi’s forces – and more are on standby.

Japanese officials expand evacuation zone around the crippled nuclear plant.

How much does war really cost? (Washington Post) [ This is a question much like that poignant, famed response of J. P. Morgan to a question of a similar vein (whether the inquirer could afford buying a boat); the answer being if you have to ask you most assuredly can't (afford it). The nation is defacto bankrupt, after all. These wars have not been worth doing at all except for those few war profiteers, military industrial complex, israel, zionists, neocons, etc.. Yeah, it's actually worse here in terms of insurmountable magnitude.(Davis ‘… This is how we pay off our current debts and I think bondholders are simply happy to get anything out of a country that admits it owes $15Tn (1/4 of global GDP) but probably owes closer to $60Tn (entire global GDP) in the form of unfunded liabilities. The funniest thing about this (and you have to laugh) is to see Conservative pundits get on TV and talk about how we need to cut $100Bn worth of discretionary spending to "fix" this (while continuing to spend $1Tn on the military and $1Tn on tax cuts for the top 1% each year). There is no fixing this and even a Republican said you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. THIS HOUSE OF CARDS IS TEETERING FOLKS – PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! ‘ ). That wobama is a failed president, there is no question. Yet, the gop's 'never saw a war / conflict they didn't like' for the sake of the military industrial complex, war profiteers, israel, war criminals, the few, etc., despite the defacto bankruptcy of the nation is quite beyond the pale. ‘US is broke, dollar down, yet policy is to divide & conquer’ RT | America is getting involved in another long-term war, which will ruin its economy. US Approaching Insolvency, Fix To Be ‘Painful’: Fisher CNBC | The United States is on a fiscal path towards insolvency and policymakers are at a “tipping point,”. Kucinich: War is a swamp, Obama Libya action unconstitutional Drudgereport: FED: US Approaching Insolvency... ]

Household wealth down 23% in 2 years – Fed A rare survey of U.S. households, first performed in 2007 but repeated in 2009 in order to gauge the effects of the recession, reveals the median net worth of households fell from $125,000 in 2007 to $96,000 in 2009.

The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial ... ignoring a spate of negative news.

As Adjusted Monetary Base Rises By Half A Trillion In 2011, Treasury Runs Out Of Debt Ceiling Delay Measures

OPINION | If a war is not worth a tax, or spending cuts, then perhaps it is not worth doing at all.

How Can America Create Wealth If Our Industrial Base Is Destroyed? Any economy that constantly consumes far more wealth than it produces is eventually going to be in for a very hard fall. Many point to relatively stable GDP numbers as evidence that the U.S. economy is doing okay, but the truth is that we have had to borrow increasingly massive amounts of money to keep GDP numbers up at that level.

Come on! Upward revision of GDP by the scandal-scarred commerce department? You can’t believe anything these desperate self-servers say! This manipulated bubble in this secular bear market based on b* s* alone and today’s suckers’ rally on more badworse than expected news provides an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you still can since there's much worse to come! The frauds on wall street et als should be criminally prosecuted, jailed, fined, and disgorgement imposed (this would also help significantly the hapless, hopeless budget scenario). Fed to hold regular news conferences (Washington Post) [ Wow! Just what everyone needed … more spoon-fed b* s* / jawboning by the flawed, flatulent, faultful fed … for the sake of fraudulent wall street … you do remember those 'no-recession' jawbone sessions that sent the prior bubble expanding faster than 'the big bang' itself … until every got and continues to get banged from the last bubble-fraud crash. What do you expect these incompetent, fraudulent criminals / accomplices to say? That they haven't the slightest clue what they're doing and the damage they've already done? Come on! The more they speak, the less you really know; and, to borrow from that old saying / cliché … how do you know they're lying?... answer: 'their lips are moving'... They lie all the time … sometimes even when they don't have to. M&A, Ben Resuscitate Bulls: Dave's Daily 'If you can keep interest rates this low this long, its inevitable cheap financing can allow companies to start cobbling each other up. Further Ben's policies allow companies like IBM to sell bonds at 1% and buy back shares with the proceeds (total paper bubble-scam). POMO is occurring almost daily and Primary Dealers can buy back their shares and pay dividends with what essentially is taxpayer money--nifty trick eh? With all the geopolitical and nuclear events going on little noticed was Fed "stress tests" of financial institutions to see if they were healthy enough to buy back shares and pay dividends. Making the matter sinister and less transparent is their gag order on the entire process. The Fed also has some toxic waste they'd like to sell you… (see infra)’ ] Chairman Bernanke’s move is part of efforts by the central bank to make the institution appear less secretive. States target jobless benefits (Washington Post) [ Sounds like a plan … from h**l … after all, beyond the rhetoric, propaganda, fake data / reports, etc., the only real manufacturing going on in pervasively corrupt / defacto bankrupt america is ever more worthless fiat paper currency, new fangled wall street paper / securities / toxic asset bubble-frauds, etc.. Unemployment numbers from the labored labor department? The ‘expiration / stopped looking, everyone’, at best. How can anyone believe anything the pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt u.s. government says. Durable goods (leading indicator) 200% worse than expected, stocks rally. ‘ February Durable Goods Orders Disappoint NEW YORK (TheStreet) Bharatwaj …’ This is the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. Looking Like A Good Time To Sell Into Strength - Harding ‘Many important global stock markets, including China, Brazil, India and Hong Kong, have been in fairly significant corrections since November, down between 12% and 17%. Their major concerns have been rising inflation and the resulting monetary tightening by their central banks to combat the inflationary pressures...So was this week’s stumble the beginning of a more serious correction? The events and reports this week did provide more evidence that the stock market may be ahead of reality regarding prospects for the economy, and therefore corporate earnings, going forward, which should at least limit the market’s upside potential. Limited upside potential equals more downside risk? … wise to lighten up some into strength ... BOB PRECHTER: We're Still In A Massive Bear Market And Stocks Will Crash To New Lows New homes are bad deals in some areas (Washington Post) [ If it only was just the new homes being bad deals in some areas … and if it only was just real estate and not, ie., grossly over-valued u.s. stocks, which rallied on the much worse than expected news, etc.. Post 'The rise (in stocks) came in spite of record low new-home sales data and continued worry about the European debt crisis.' Select Stocks Boost Markets: Dave's Daily [ Dave: '...Economic data focused on New Home Sales which were down nearly 17% causing the Homebuilder ETF (XHB) to rally. I kid you not! ...' ] ] Michigan moves to cut its unemployment program despite troubling jobless rates.

Don't Fight the Fed: Dave's Daily 'Some good earnings from software leader Oracle and upwardly revised GDP (mostly on expanding inventories) helped markets rally modestly Friday. Most important, $20 billion in POMO this week tells the tale for markets and bulls. It seems the world can blow up and bulls would still be chucking it in there as long the man with the big stack has their backs. Consumer Sentiment was lower since oil prices over $100 are off-putting to say the least and home prices continue to suffer. With commodity prices still rising it's uncertain whether corporations will be able to pass these higher costs to end users or consumers. If they can, we have inflation that only rigged government data can deny. The dollar rallied modestly but commodities still rallied overall while bonds fell slightly. Volume continues to dry-up but I suppose most investors pay little heed to this bearish condition. Who's buying? Those lucky Primary Dealers (dba, Da Boyz) with free stake money from Uncle Sugar. Breadth per the WSJ was positive. As quickly as we were short-term oversold last week, we're now at neutral to a little overbought.'

Beware the Fed Driven Market Parnell ' A review of the headlines heading into trading on March 23, 2011 was notable:

* Portugal braces for government collapse over austerity vote

* Ireland’s 10-year bond yield hits record at over 10%

* Bombing in Israel bus station

* Yemen’s pro-U.S. leader in talks on exit

* U.S. new home sales lowest on record, prices fall to December 2003 levels

* Federal Reserve rejects Bank of America dividend raise

Investment markets do not like uncertainty. And on any normal trading day, simply one of these headlines alone might provide justification for stock investors to take pause and reevaluate risk exposures. So with six such major headlines in a single day, it would have been more than reasonable to expect that stocks might head lower for the trading session, as investors would be inclined to take some money of the table as they analyze the implications of some if not all of these events. And such risk aversion would be particularly prudent in a stock market that has nearly doubled since the March 2009 lows and has risen by over +30% in a virtual straight line since last summer.

When trade opened Wednesday morning at 9:30AM, a pullback was exactly what we saw, as the market quickly dropped by roughly -1%. But once we entered the second hour of trading, the downward trend suddenly reversed. By 10:30AM, the market showed signs of bottoming. And through the remainder of the morning and the rest of the trading day, the market elevated steadily higher to end the day up +0.5%. The fact that the market ended up on a day when a variety of new and meaningful risks bubbled to the surface certainly raises an eyebrow. After all, whether it's to the upside or the downside, you want to make sure your in a market that is acting at least somewhat rationally.

Trading days just like yesterday have become all too familiar over the last few years – down at open on negative news, bottom mid morning, rally through the remainder of the day to end higher. This raises the obvious question – what is happening around 10:30AM that sparks this market resilience to shake off any and all signs of worry and start ascending higher? The answer – the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Nearly every trading day, the Fed conducts Permanent Open Market Operations (POMO) starting at 10:30AM as part of their latest $600 billion asset purchase plan widely known as “QE2”. Between 10:30AM and 11:00AM, the Fed buys anywhere between $5.5 billion to $8.5 billion in U.S. Treasury securities from financial institutions such as the major banks. So by late morning on any given trading day, we have financial institutions that suddenly have a load of cash that they just received from the Fed and now need to do something with it.

A good chunk of this money has been finding its way into investment markets including stocks, which helps ignite the reversal and propel stocks higher. In other words, the Fed has essentially become the marginal buyer of stocks through their Open Market Operations.

click to enlarge [chart]

This process has two key implications going forward. First, the Fed’s QE2 is set to run through June 30, 2011. As long as QE2 is running – we are currently around $360 billion, or 60%, through QE2 through today with 98 calendar days left before June 30, 2011 – it is reasonable to expect these mid-morning reversal up days will continue to occur with regularity regardless of what risks the world throws at it. Second, the daily marginal buyer for stocks is set to go away once QE2 ends.

Thus, a day like Wednesday that opens down but reverses and heads higher is likely to become a day that opens lower and accelerates to the downside as the day progresses. It is also worth noting that the infamous stock market flash crash occurred on May 6, 2010 ...'

G.E.’s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether NY Times | Worldwide profits: $14.2 billion; U.S. profits: $5.1 billion; tax liability: zero.

How Can America Create Wealth If Our Industrial Base Is Destroyed? Economic Collapse | Any economy that constantly consumes far more wealth than it produces is in for a very hard fall.

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Fell More Than Forecast in March Bloomberg | Gasoline prices hovering near the highest levels since October 2008 are straining the finances of American households.

Household wealth down 23% in 2 years – Fed A rare survey of U.S. households, first performed in 2007 but repeated in 2009 in order to gauge the effects of the recession, reveals the median net worth of households fell from $125,000 in 2007 to $96,000 in 2009.

The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial Those of you who watch financial TV or read the financial media have probably heard the current market referred to as the “nothing matters” market since it is supposedly ignoring a spate of negative news.

As Adjusted Monetary Base Rises By Half A Trillion In 2011, Treasury Runs Out Of Debt Ceiling Delay Measures Something very notable happened today receiving exactly zero recognition by the mainstream press: the process of winding down the Supplementary Financing Program ended, with either zero (assuming the entire $25 billion in 56 Day CMB matured without rolling) or $5 billion (as per the Treasury’s disclosure), remaining under the SFP.

Gold And Silver Are Thriving While The U.S. Dollar Is Dying Have you heard the news? Gold hit another new record high on Thursday. It reached $1447.40 before settling back a bit. Most people responded to that news with a yawn.

National / World

Censored TV Ad Banned from Airwaves [ This presentation is really quite good; indeed, so good, I archived it on my website out of fear of censorship / blacklist / ban. Why your local Hospital could soon shut down (Ad) http://www.stansberryresearch.com/pro/1011PSIENDVD/LPSILC43/PR [ The instant video on the economic / financial collapse from Stansberry and Associates is so well researched and succinctly presented that I’ve archived same on my website; also, because the facts and views presented comport with the facts and views I’ve presented on my site which I believe to be correct. This is a must-view, must-see that I strongly recommend!
The complete url: http://www.albertpeia.com/stansberrysinvestmentadvisory.flv ( 146mb – approx. 1 hr. 17 min. ) http://www.albertpeia.com/stansberrysinvestmentadvisory.mp4 ( 374mb ) Written text of presentation (without pictures / charts) http://www.albertpeia.com/stansberrypresentation.htm ] Infowars.com | A television ad that features Alex Jones’ narration has been banned from broadcast.

United Nations Nuclear Bank Cassandra Anderson | The UN nuclear bank is another piece of UN Agenda 21, the blueprint for total control and depopulation.

Libyan Rebel Leader Admits Links To “Al Qaeda” Fighters Steve Watson | Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi admitted that he had previously recruited fundamentalists to fight in Iraq.

Gates Instructs Syrian Military to Impose Color Revolution Kurt Nimmo | Defense Secretary joins globalist NGOs and calls for Syrian government to be deposed.

Japanese Authorities Admit Deadly MOX Plutonium Reactor Is Leaking Paul Joseph Watson | Has cover-up of leakage been ongoing since massive March 14 explosion?

Libyan Rebel Leader Admits Links To “Al Qaeda” Fighters The commander of anti Gaddafi rebels forces in Libya has admitted that among the ranks of those fighting against the government are islamic militants who have fought and killed US troops in Iraq, otherwise known as “al qaeda” fighters.

Gates Instructs Syrian Military to Impose Color Revolution As we have documented, the so-called popular revolutions spreading across the Middle East are orchestrated affairs unleashed by the globalists, their NGOs, and agencies of the U.S. government.

Farage: Rompuy Says Libya Attack About “Regime Change” The UN says it’s alarmed by the looming humanitarian crisis in Libya. Officials warn food supply lines have been disrupted and over three hundred thousand refugees have already fled the country. Nigel Farage, MEP and leader of the UK Independence Party, believes the whole military strategy in Libya has not been thought through.

Libya: The Objective of “Humanitarian Bombing” is Death and Destruction The objective of the media disinformation campaign is to blatantly obfuscate the loss of life of civilians. Western media reports on casualties are heavily convoluted. Tomahawk missiles and aerial bombings are upheld as instruments of peace and democracy. They do not result in civilian deaths.

Radiation: Nothing to See Here? Administration spokespeople continuously claim “no threat” from the radiation reaching the US from Japan, just as they did with oil hemorrhaging into the Gulf. Perhaps we should all whistle “Don’t worry, be happy” in unison. A thorough review of the science, however, begs a second opinion.

As TEPCO Reports Increased Possible Radiation Release, Japan Expands Voluntary Evacuation Radius To 30 km The latest news from Fukushima continue progressing from bad to worse. Which of course means that the (physical) silver lining around the mushroom cloud will be that much more potent: after all, the greater the destruction, the higher the Russell 2000. Just ask the Keynesians.

Japanese Authorities Admit Deadly MOX Plutonium Reactor Is Leaking While the mass media has all but dropped its interest in the Fukushima crisis to focus on Libya and meaningless side-issues like the death of Elizabeth Taylor, the nuclear nightmare only worsens, as Japanese authorities admit that reactor number 3, which is the only reactor to contain MOX plutonium, is now leaking.

350 British special forces already deep inside Libya… and more are ready to be deployed Hundreds of British troops have been deployed deep inside Libya targeting Colonel Gaddafi’s forces – and more are on standby.

How Can America Create Wealth If Our Industrial Base Is Destroyed? Any economy that constantly consumes far more wealth than it produces is eventually going to be in for a very hard fall. Many point to relatively stable GDP numbers as evidence that the U.S. economy is doing okay, but the truth is that we have had to borrow increasingly massive amounts of money to keep GDP numbers up at that level.

Syrian Uprising Is Latest Globalist-Backed Coup d’état “A prominent Syrian opposition figure says the country is “a bomb, ready to explode” as protesters demand freedom and an end to president Bashar al-Assad’s “cancerous regime,”" reports Australia’s ABC News.

American Interventionism: Protecting the Profit Machine America is the spawn of empire building and from the start has itself engaged heavily in that activity. In nearly all cases it has shown a preference for bribery, coercion, intimidation and force over diplomacy and cooperation.

Economic Terrorists: That’s You Turban wearing cavemen were never what the “War on Terror” was about.

Saudis want their troops out of Bahrain Hundreds of Saudi anti-government protesters have taken to the streets in the country’s Eastern Province, condemning the kingdom’s military intervention in Bahrain.

Follow The Fall Of The Canadian Government Live The no confidence vote in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Canadian government is expected to start momentarily. Just like two days ago when Portugal fell, this event will likely be seen as a buying opportunity of both the USDCAD and the CADUSD.

US May Supply Gaddafi Rebels With Weapons Western diplomatic sources have confirmed to Sky News that the US is considering the legality of arming the Libyan rebels.

No-fly zone next in Belgium?! Clashes as police disperse mass protests Police and protesters have clashed in Brussels, as European Union leaders are gathering there for a fresh attempt to address the EU’s year-long debt crisis.

Egypt to protest against anti-protest law The new decree-law issued by the cabinet yesterday draws the ire of activists and labourers who plan to take their objections to the street in massive protests on Friday.

Money Trouble Ahead: 15 Indications That Bad Times Are About To Hit The U.S. Economy 2011 is shaping up to be a really bad year for the U.S. economy. There are all kinds of indications that big trouble is ahead. So far financial markets are weathering all of the chaos around the world fairly well, but just as there were huge flashing warning signs before the 2008 financial crisis there are also huge flashing warning signs now. The American Dream
March 23, 2011

2011 is shaping up to be a really bad year for the U.S. economy. There are all kinds of indications that big trouble is ahead. So far financial markets are weathering all of the chaos around the world fairly well, but just as there were huge flashing warning signs before the 2008 financial crisis there are also huge flashing warning signs now. The price of oil is soaring, the U.S. housing market is experiencing huge problems, the cost of living in America recently hit a new record high and each week the globe seems to become even more unstable. How much pounding can our fragile economic system take before it completely collapses? As the price of oil goes even higher, it is going to cause economic growth to slow down and it is going to cause the prices of the things that we all buy at the stores to go up at the same time. It is very likely that we are entering a period of “stagflation” similar to what we experienced in the 1970s. This is going to cause a huge amount of money trouble for millions of American families. Already there are vast numbers of American families that are barely making it every month. Tens of millions of Americans are already receiving government assistance. So what is going to happen when the next financial crash happens and we experience yet another major economic downturn?

The truth is that the financial system was never “fixed” after the crash of 2008. If anything, it is more vulnerable today than it was back then. Even as you read this, major imbalances are building up in the global financial system, and at some point a “tipping point” will be reached.

Once that tipping point is reached, it will not be too long before the U.S. economy experiences the next wave of economic problems. Perhaps we will be fortunate and it will not be as bad as the 2008 crash. Perhaps this next wave will be even worse than 2008 was. Only time will tell.

But all of the warning signs are there. The following are 15 indications that bad times are about to hit the U.S. economy….

#1 The price of gasoline is about to cross the psychologically-important $4 a gallon threshold in some areas of the United States. For example, the average price of gasoline is now $3.977 in San Diego County and it is $3.955 in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

#2 The price of oil moved up close to the $105 mark by the end of the day today, and that means that more gasoline price increases are likely on the horizon for American consumers.

#3 In February, food prices in the United States rose at the fastest rate in 36 years.

#4 According to the U.S. Labor Department, the cost of living in the United States hit a brand new all-time record high in the month of February.

#5 According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of previously existing homes in the United States dropped a stunning 9.6 percent in February. The National Association of Realtors also has announced that the median home price is the lowest it has been in 9 years.

#6 The U.S. is already in the midst of a real estate crash that never seems to end, but many are warning that it is about to get even worse. For example, prominent housing analyst Gary Shilling is warning that U.S. housing prices are likely to drop another 20 percent.

#7 According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, at least 8 million Americans are at least one month behind on their mortgage payments at this point.

#8 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of new building permits declined 20.5 percent in February on a year over year basis. According to John Carney of CNBC, a huge decline in building permits is usually an indication that a recession is coming….

All nine recessions since 1959 have seen a year over year decline in building permits. In eight of the last nine the annual rate of change hit negative 20 percent or lower, and the economy went into a recession.

#9 31 percent of the homeowners that responded to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey indicated that they are “underwater” on their mortgages.

#10 Millions of American families are drowning in debt and debt collectors are becoming increasingly aggressive. According to a new Federal Trade Commission report, consumer complaints about debt collectors rose by 17 percent last year.

#11 Meredith Whitney is warning that even though it may take longer than she originally projected, we are still going to see a wave of municipal bond defaultsworth hundreds of billions of dollars.

#12 The war in Libya is putting upward pressure on the price of oil, it is yet another drain on U.S. government finances, and it is raising tensions across the globe. Vladimir Putin has called the NATO operation in Libya a “crusade” and China is calling for an immediate cease-fire. Financial markets do not like instability of this nature.

#13 The rest of the Middle East is melting down as well. More than 40 demonstrators have been killed in Yemen and the president of that country has declared a state of emergency. Government buildings are still being set on fire in Egypt. Ivory Coast is in the midst of a full-blown revolution, and there are ongoing protests in about a dozen other nations across North Africa and the Middle East. This is really bad for global economic stability.

#14 The damage from the tsunami in Japan continues to affect more American Workers. GM has just announced that they are going to temporarily lay off workers at a Buffalo engine plant due to a shortage of parts from Japan. When supply chains are going to get fully back to normal is anyone’s guess. GM has also temporarily shut down a facility in Shreveport, Louisiana due to supply problems.

#15 There continue to be indications that the amount of radiation being released by the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants is much higher than we have been led to believe. The following is an excerpt from a recent report by NHK World….

“Japan’s science ministry says radiation exceeding 400 times the normal level was detected in soil about 40 kilometers from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The ministry surveyed radioactive substances in soil about 5 centimeters below the surface at roadsides on Monday. The ministry found 43,000 becquerels of radioactive iodine-131 per kilogram of soil, and 4,700 becquerels of radioactive cesium-137 per kilogram about 40 kilometers west-northwest of the plant. Gunma University Professor Keigo Endo says radiation released by the iodine is 430 times the level normally detected in soil in Japan and that released by the cesium is 47 times the norm.”

400 times the normal level amount of radiation 40 kilometers from the plant?

That is something that should be taken very seriously.

Sadly, radiation levels continue to rise throughout northern and central Japan. If a significant amount of people have to be evacuated from Tokyo at some point that is going to be absolutely devastating for the global economy.

So what should Americans be doing? How can middle class families weather the storm that is coming?

Well, one thing that can be done is to start saving money and not spending it on frivolous things like new cars and international vacations. Many Americans did not learn the lessons of 2008 and they are running around blowing money as if the good times will never come to an end.

Also, now is a good time to get out of debt. Millions of American families are literally drowning in debt, and when the next financial crash comes it is the families that are overextended that will be the most financially vulnerable.

When you see a storm coming, the prudent thing to do is to make preparations. Most people believe what they want to believe, but anyone that cannot see the economic storm clouds on the horizon at this point has got to be pretty clueless.

Our entire economic system is slowly failing. Hopefully the folks running things will be able to hold the economy together for a while longer, but when you stop and think about who we have in charge, there are not many reasons to be optimistic.

Lohan rejects judge's plea offer in theft case (AP) [ It is common practice in the entertainment industry for 'loaners' far more expensive than the subject 'costume piece' here, to garner the benefit of the 'show and tell', particularly for this little hole in the wall in Venice. I mean, come on; this was hardly a surprise taking in a bustling store overrun by customers. Then there are the 'evidentiary' problems attendant to the venal motives of the store itself and monies received. In all, one must conclude that these invariably corrupt judges / prosecutors as corrupt steve the cooley (check out those land deals) like to bully the girls, ie., Lindsay Lohan, Winona Ryder, etc.. I'm not going to mention the guys of late who got a pass. Blatant misogyny? What else can you call it; particulary since they're letting scores of far more serious criminals out of jail, and we all know the numbers of serious violent criminals walkin' the streets with impunity in so-cal. Paris Hilton prosecutor arrested for buying cocaine (Reuters) ]

Drudgereport: Fears rise that Japan could sell off U.S. Debt ... [ Not only selling ... they won't be buying! ]...
Dangerous breach suspected at Japan nuke plant...
WATER RADIATION 10,000X NORMAL...
Japan Quietly Evacuates Wider Radius From Reactors...
Toll rises to 27,000 dead, missing...
Muslims beat, stomp effigy of Obama in protest...
GE pulls in $14B, makes $5B profit, pays $0 US taxes...
WH defends embrace of GE's CEO...
Immelt, Rangel in 'Harlem Horse Trade'...
UPDATE: Budget Impasse Increasing Risk of 'Shutdown'...
MOODY'S THREATENS TO DOWNGRADE BRITAIN'S DEBT...
STUDY: US Finances Rank Near Worst in World...
Libya Mission 'clouded by confusion'...
White House: Days, not weeks...
France: Weeks, not days...
Dem Rep: Obama told me US would be 'in and out'...
Pentagon: Likely to continue combat...
2,200 ground troops headed to region...
Quake toll rises to 27,000 dead, missing...
More U.S. states find 'traces' of radiation from Japan...
EPA: Some Air Monitors May Not Be Working Properly...
Global food scare widens...
FED: US Approaching Insolvency...
Oil closes above $105, highest level since Aug 2008...
New Home Sales Plunge; Hit Lowest Level Since Data Tracking Began in 1960s...
US gasoline inventories fall...
Neutron beam observed 13 times at crippled Fukushima nuke plant...
Fallout reaches Europe...
Concern in Tokyo over tap water...
Leading OBAMACARE Backer Considering Waiver for his City...
TOP GUN: As bombs drop, Spring Training (at baseball camp) for 'Lobotomy Joe' Biden...
Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Deaths of 3 Afghan Civilians...
PORTUGAL TEETERS AFTER FAILURE TO CUT DEBT...
International Bailout Only Option...
PM resigns...
WOBAMA: I'm keeping my Peace Prize ... (which as is so of 'wobama the b' {for b*** s***} means absolutely nothing) ...
BOMBED BUT NOT BROKEN
Obama seeks to break impasse...
Allies in disarray...
No one wants to run operation...
French PM: 'We are not at war'...
DEM LAWMAKER: IMPEACH OBAMA...
US rescue chopper shoots 6 villagers welcoming pilots of downed jet...
UPDATE: Soldier to Plead Guilty in Afghan Murder Case...
Will testify against fellow 'kill team' troops...
Mainstream media ignores 'trophy' photos; White House mum...
Oil tops $105 per barrel...
Ex-President of Israel Sentenced to Prison for Rape...
Violence warning in UK as unions plan mass march Sunday...

Fed to hold regular news conferences (Washington Post) [ Wow! Just what everyone needed … more spoon-fed b* s* / jawboning by the flawed, flatulent, faultful fed … for the sake of fraudulent wall street … you do remember those 'no-recession' jawbone sessions that sent the prior bubble expanding faster than 'the big bang' itself … until every got and continues to get banged from the last bubble-fraud crash. What do you expect these incompetent, fraudulent criminals / accomplices to say? That they haven't the slightest clue what they're doing and the damage they've already done? Come on! The more they speak, the less you really know; and, to borrow from that old saying / cliché … how do you know they're lying?... answer: 'their lips are moving'... They lie all the time … sometimes even when they don't have to. M&A, Ben Resuscitate Bulls: Dave's Daily 'If you can keep interest rates this low this long, its inevitable cheap financing can allow companies to start cobbling each other up. Further Ben's policies allow companies like IBM to sell bonds at 1% and buy back shares with the proceeds (total paper bubble-scam). POMO is occurring almost daily and Primary Dealers can buy back their shares and pay dividends with what essentially is taxpayer money--nifty trick eh? With all the geopolitical and nuclear events going on little noticed was Fed "stress tests" of financial institutions to see if they were healthy enough to buy back shares and pay dividends. Making the matter sinister and less transparent is their gag order on the entire process. The Fed also has some toxic waste they'd like to sell you… (see infra)’ ] Chairman Bernanke’s move is part of efforts by the central bank to make the institution appear less secretive.

Japan fears for food, water supplies (Washington Post) [ Well, if Japan doesn't, who will? Certainly not america, in america, where fears are never concerns till they've become realities in their rears. ] As the number of deaths from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami officially exceeded 10,000, the struggle to prevent more radiation from escaping continued. Chernobyl-Style Yellow Rain Causes Panic In Japan Paul Joseph Watson | Authorities assure alarmed citizens yellow powder is pollen, but victims of Chernobyl radiation were told the same thing. Fukushima Radiation Spreading To More U.S. States Steve Watson | EPA says some air monitors might not be working properly. Apple Rejects iPhone 4 Radiation Metering App Matt Ryan | Radiation metering app demonstrates iPhone releases increased amount of radiation when struggling to find signal. Chernobyl-Style Yellow Rain Causes Panic In Japan Radioactive yellow rain that fell in Tokyo and surrounding areas last night caused panic amongst Japanese citizens and prompted a flood of phone calls to Japan’s Meteorological Agency this morning, with people concerned that they were being fed the same lies as victims of Chernobyl, who were told that yellow rain which fell over Russia and surrounding countries after the 1986 disaster was merely pollen, the same explanation now being offered by Japanese authorities. Fukushima Radiation Spreading To More U.S. States Radiation from the ongoing disaster in Japan is spreading throughout the United States, and while the EPA says the levels are not dangerous, it also admits that some of its radiation-tracking air monitors may not even be working. Radioactive Iodine In Fukushima Seawater Highest Ever, Reactors 5 And 6 Now Leaking Too And while futures rise as the market anticipates the latest central bank intervention to paper over the global financial insolvency, the radioactive fallout from Fukushima continues to worsen as Iodine 131 levels in the seawater hits the highest since the start of the crisis. Fukushima Radiation Release Rivals Chernobyl The radiation released by the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant already rivals and in one sense exceeds the Chernobyl catastrophe according to Austria’s Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, even as media spin downplays the severity of the crisis despite the fact that the problems at the plant show no signs of abating.

For loyalists, a state of perpetual revolution (Washington Post) [ And, for defacto bankrupt america / americans, a state of perpetual war … and, on how many fronts? … eh … what the heck … who's countin' … certainly not capital hill et als; you know, all that money the nation doesn't even really have but keep spending. How will this all end … not well … not well at all! ] Six days into the allied bombardment of Libyan military targets, it is clear that Moammar Gaddafi can count on the fierce loyalties of at least a significant segment of the population. School Shooting Exercise Portrays Student as Anti-Illegal Immigration Terrorist Kurt Nimmo | Scenario depicts racist student with access to a cache of guns and IEDs shooting Latino student. Globalist Coalition Claims “Precision” Bombs Do Not Kill Libyan Civilians Kurt Nimmo | CNN and the corporate media are trying their darnedest to put the best face on Obama’s illegal attack.White House: Libya fight is not war, it’s ‘kinetic military action’ Byron York | “Military steps — and they can be kinetic and non-kinetic.” Camp Lejeune Marines To Libya To Strike At Qadhafi Forces WCTI | We’ve seen Camp Lejuene Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan and now they are joining the fight against Libya.‘Libya war could last 30 years’ Mail Online | Ministers admitted they have no idea how long military operation against Gaddafi could take.Globalist Coalition Claims “Precision” Bombs Do Not Kill Libyan Civilians CNN and the corporate media are trying their darnedest to put the best face on Obama’s illegal attack against the people of Libya under the auspices of the United Nations and its bankster overlords.Critics: Iowa terror drill portrays immigration foes as killers Foes of illegal immigration are up in arms over plans for a weekend disaster exercise in western Iowa with a fictitious scenario in which white supremacists shoot dozens of people amid rising tensions involving racial minorities and illegal immigrants.Orwell Rolls In His Grave: White House: Libya fight is not war, it’s ‘kinetic military action’ In the last few days, Obama administration officials have frequently faced the question: Is the fighting in Libya a war? From military officers to White House spokesmen up to the president himself, the answer is no. But that leaves the question: What is it?Gas to Hit $5 Per Gallon Before Summer Oil industry experts warn that the price for a gallon of gas will reach $5 before summer. They blame the unfolding conflict in Libya and across the oil-producing Middle East for exploding prices.

States target jobless benefits (Washington Post) [ Sounds like a plan … from hl … after all, beyond the rhetoric, propaganda, fake data / reports, etc., the only real manufacturing going on in pervasively corrupt / defacto bankrupt america is ever more worthless fiat paper currency, new fangled wall street paper / securities / toxic asset bubble-frauds, etc.. Unemployment numbers from the labored labor department? The ‘expiration / stopped looking, everyone’, at best. How can anyone believe anything the pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt u.s. government says. Durable goods (leading indicator) 200% worse than expected, stocks rally. ‘ February Durable Goods Orders Disappoint NEW YORK (TheStreet) Bharatwaj …’ This is the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. This manipulated bubble in this secular bear market based on b* s*** alone and today’s suckers’ rally provides an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you still can since there's much worse to come! The frauds on wall street et als should be criminally prosecuted, jailed, fined, and disgorgement imposed (this would also help significantly the hapless, hopeless budget scenario). Looking Like A Good Time To Sell Into Strength - Harding ‘Many important global stock markets, including China, Brazil, India and Hong Kong, have been in fairly significant corrections since November, down between 12% and 17%. Their major concerns have been rising inflation and the resulting monetary tightening by their central banks to combat the inflationary pressures...So was this week’s stumble the beginning of a more serious correction? The events and reports this week did provide more evidence that the stock market may be ahead of reality regarding prospects for the economy, and therefore corporate earnings, going forward, which should at least limit the market’s upside potential. Limited upside potential equals more downside risk? … wise to lighten up some into strength ... BOB PRECHTER: We're Still In A Massive Bear Market And Stocks Will Crash To New Lows New homes are bad deals in some areas (Washington Post) [ If it only was just the new homes being bad deals in some areas … and if it only was just real estate and not, ie., grossly over-valued u.s. stocks, which rallied on the much worse than expected news, etc.. Post 'The rise (in stocks) came in spite of record low new-home sales data and continued worry about the European debt crisis.' Select Stocks Boost Markets: Dave's Daily [ Dave: '...Economic data focused on New Home Sales which were down nearly 17% causing the Homebuilder ETF (XHB) to rally. I kid you not! ...' ] ] Michigan moves to cut its unemployment program despite troubling jobless rates.

World finds less solace in dollar (Washington Post) [ No mystery here … Not even a long time coming in light of america's very real defacto bankruptcy; particularly as the same old / same old plunder of this and other nations by, you guessed it, the same old / same old. Money Trouble Ahead: 15 Indications That Bad Times Are About To Hit The U.S. Economy 2011 is shaping up to be a really bad year for the U.S. economy. There are all kinds of indications that big trouble is ahead...just as there were huge flashing warning signs before the 2008 financial crisis there are also huge flashing warning signs now. The American DreamMarch 23, 20112011 is shaping up to be a really bad year for the U.S. economy. There are all kinds of indications that big trouble is ahead. So far financial markets are weathering all of the chaos around the world fairly well, but just as there were huge flashing warning signs before the 2008 financial crisis there are also huge flashing warning signs now. The price of oil is soaring, the U.S. housing market is experiencing huge problems, the cost of living in America recently hit a new record high and each week the globe seems to become even more unstable. How much pounding can our fragile economic system take before it completely collapses? As the price of oil goes even higher, it is going to cause economic growth to slow down and it is going to cause the prices of the things that we all buy at the stores to go up at the same time. It is very likely that we are entering a period of “stagflation” similar to what we experienced in the 1970s. This is going to cause a huge amount of money trouble for millions of American families. Already there are vast numbers of American families that are barely making it every month. Tens of millions of Americans are already receiving government assistance. So what is going to happen when the next financial crash happens and we experience yet another major economic downturn?The truth is that the financial system was never “fixed” after the crash of 2008. If anything, it is more vulnerable today than it was back then. Even as you read this, major imbalances are building up in the global financial system, and at some point a “tipping point” will be reached.Once that tipping point is reached, it will not be too long before the U.S. economy experiences the next wave of economic problems.... as the 2008 crash... Perhaps this next wave will be even worse than 2008 ...But all of the warning signs are there. The following are 15 indications that bad times are about to hit the U.S. Economy...'] Usually considered a safe haven in times of turmoil, the dollar is down against a basket of other currencies

Unemployment numbers from the labored labor department? The ‘expiration / stopped looking, everyone’, at best. How can anyone believe anything the pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt u.s. government says. Durable goods (leading indicator) 200% worse than expected, stocks rally. ‘ February Durable Goods Orders Disappoint NEW YORK (TheStreet) Bharatwaj …’ This is the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. This manipulated bubble in this secular bear market based on b*** s*** alone and today’s suckers’ rally provides an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you still can since there's much worse to come! The frauds on wall street et als should be criminally prosecuted, jailed, fined, and disgorgement imposed (this would also help significantly the hapless, hopeless budget scenario). M&A, Ben Resuscitate Bulls: Dave's Daily 'If you can keep interest rates this low this long, its inevitable cheap financing can allow companies to start cobbling each other up. Further Ben's policies allow companies like IBM to sell bonds at 1% and buy back shares with the proceeds (total paper bubble-scam). POMO is occurring almost daily and Primary Dealers can buy back their shares and pay dividends with what essentially is taxpayer money--nifty trick eh? With all the geopolitical and nuclear events going on little noticed was Fed "stress tests" of financial institutions to see if they were healthy enough to buy back shares and pay dividends. Making the matter sinister and less transparent is their gag order on the entire process. The Fed also has some toxic waste they'd like to sell you… (see infra)’ Looking Like A Good Time To Sell Into Strength - Harding ‘Many important global stock markets, including China, Brazil, India and Hong Kong, have been in fairly significant corrections since November, down between 12% and 17%. Their major concerns have been rising inflation and the resulting monetary tightening by their central banks to combat the inflationary pressures...So was this week’s stumble the beginning of a more serious correction? The events and reports this week did provide more evidence that the stock market may be ahead of reality regarding prospects for the economy, and therefore corporate earnings, going forward, which should at least limit the market’s upside potential. Limited upside potential equals more downside risk? It might be wise to lighten up some into strength that may develop over the next few days during the ‘monthly strength period.’ BOB PRECHTER: We're Still In A Massive Bear Market And Stocks Will Crash To New Lows New homes are bad deals in some areas (Washington Post) [ If it only was just the new homes being bad deals in some areas … and if it only was just real estate and not, ie., grossly over-valued u.s. stocks, which rallied on the much worse than expected news, etc.. Post 'The rise (in stocks) came in spite of record low new-home sales data and continued worry about the European debt crisis.' Select Stocks Boost Markets: Dave's Daily [ Dave: '...Economic data focused on New Home Sales which were down nearly 17% causing the Homebuilder ETF (XHB) to rally. I kid you not! ...' ]

Go to following pages for above links:
http://www.albertpeia.com/currentopics2ndqtr10108.htm
http://www.albertpeia.com
http://www.albertpeia.com/alresume.htm

http://www.albertpeia.com/wallstreetlunacy2ndqtr10108.htm

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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

March 28, 2011 posts

Business / Economic / Financial

The Obama doctrine (Washington Post) [ The 'wobama doctrine'? Also known as 'b*** s***' or 'bush s***'. Distinctions without a significant difference, one thing is certain. Mr. Milbank's article is nauseating.]Where Bush was all bright lines, Obama is subtle and situational.

Defense Secretary: Libya Did Not Pose Threat to U.S., Was Not ‘Vital National Interest’ to Intervene Gates said that Libya did not pose a threat to the United States before the U.S. began its military campaign.

Gingrich admits to a double flip-flop on Libya intervention Newt Gingrich can’t make up his mind.

] The president delivers an expansive rationale for intervention in civil conflicts, arguing the mission was undertaken with the US’ closest allies.

] The revolving door between the federal government and U.S. tech companies isn’t new.

Fed Ponders Actions While Global Economy Reels The US dollar continues under acute pressure, as the world seeks an alternative reserve currency. The days and years of manipulation, fraud and criminal behavior are fast coming to an end.

Household wealth down 23% in 2 years – Fed A rare survey of U.S. households, first performed in 2007 but repeated in 2009 in order to gauge the effects of the recession, reveals the median net worth of households fell from $125,000 in 2007 to $96,000 in 2009.

The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial Those of you who watch financial TV or read the financial media have probably heard the current market referred to as the “nothing matters” market since it is supposedly ignoring a spate of negative news.

] Bills seek to hike fees charged to borrowers and take other steps to shrink the companies.

On Investor Uncertainty, Stock Market Fluctuations and Unemployment Hansen 'Uncertainty causes most to delay decisions relating to their future.

Fed Ponders Actions While Global Economy Reels The US dollar continues under acute pressure, as the world seeks an alternative reserve currency. The days and years of manipulation, fraud and criminal behavior are fast coming to an end.

Household wealth down 23% in 2 years – Fed A rare survey of U.S. households, first performed in 2007 but repeated in 2009 in order to gauge the effects of the recession, reveals the median net worth of households fell from $125,000 in 2007 to $96,000 in 2009.

The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial Those of you who watch financial TV or read the financial media have probably heard the current market referred to as the “nothing matters” market since it is supposedly ignoring a spate of negative news.

Portugal Latest Stop on Euro’s On Well-Traveled Path to Failure As the world’s eyes remain riveted on disaster and recovery in Japan and political upheaval in the Mideast, Eurozone nations continue their struggle to salvage the euro.

Glenn Beck And The Federal Reserve Last Friday, Glenn Beck did an entire show on the Federal Reserve. It had been a highly publicized show and many people were wondering how Beck was going to handle the subject.

Fed Ponders Actions While Global Economy Reels The US dollar continues under acute pressure, as the world seeks an alternative reserve currency. The days and years of manipulation, fraud and criminal behavior are fast coming to an end.

MELTDOWN: Plutonium Found In Soil At Fukushima As Cover Up Continues Steve Watson | Deadly radioactive water leaking into soil and ocean.

Soros’ Media Matters Declares War On Alternative Media Kurt Nimmo | Alex Jones and the Alternative media are more of a threat to the establishment than any number of corporate media coiffured talking heads.

Pseudo-Intellectual Hit Piece Emblematic Of Crumbling Elitist Media Paul Joseph Watson | New York Magazine smear portrays Alex Jones as paranoid, Fox News-wannabe while assuring readers that malevolent global elite doesn’t exist.

Soros Libs Engage in Agit-prop Sabotage Against Fox and Conservatives Infowars.com | Democrats and libs declare guerrila warfare against the First Amendment.

Highly radioactive water spreads at Japan plant Highly radioactive water has leaked from a reactor turbine building at a stricken nuclear plant in Japan, the operator said Monday, adding to fears the liquid is seeping into the environment.

Radiation levels at Japan nuclear plant reach new highs As radiation levels at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant reached a new high Sunday, workers contended with dark, steamy conditions in their efforts to repair the facility’s cooling system and stave off a full-blown nuclear meltdown.

No UN mandate to attack Gaddafi forces: Russia Russia said on Monday attacks on forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi amounted to intervention in a civil war and were not backed by the U.N. resolution authorising no-fly zones.

Ron Paul Calls for End to Empire in N.H. Visit Voters who are hoping for a more bipartisan approach to problem solving in Washington, D.C. might not like what they hear from Congressman Ron Paul.

Defense Secretary: Libya Did Not Pose Threat to U.S., Was Not ‘Vital National Interest’ to Intervene Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that Libya did not pose a threat to the United States before the U.S. began its military campaign against the North African country.

Gingrich admits to a double flip-flop on Libya intervention Newt Gingrich can’t make up his mind.

TV Ads Normalize Thuggish TSA Behavior Kurt Nimmo | Corporate advertising makes light of Gestapo behavior.

When Does a Nuclear Disaster End? Never Tony Cartalucci | It will be hundreds of years before the area around the destroyed reactor is inhabitable again.

Poll: U.S. Will Send Ground Forces into Libya Kurt Nimmo | Russian intelligence believes coalition of globalists will send ground troops into Libya next month.

Fukushima Reactor 2: Radiation 10 Million Times Above Safe Level Infowars.com | IAEA has warned the crisis could go on for months.

A Simple Way To Resolve The True Radioactivity At Reactor 2 Zero Hedge | Here is a simple way to clear up the flap over the earlier “false” reporting on whether or not TEPCO screwed up.

Weather Models Show High Levels of Radiation Entering U.S. from Japan Kurt Nimmo | UN bureaucrat says radiation release could go on for months as authorities are clueless on how to stop the disaster.

Censored TV Ad Banned from Airwaves Infowars.com | A television ad that features Alex Jones’ narration has been banned from broadcast.

TEPCO Admits To Another Cover Up As Radioactivity Appears in Seawater Zero Hedge | Radioactivity at a concentration 1,250.8 times than the legal limit.

Libyan Rebel Leader Admits Connection to CIA al-Qaeda Asset in Iraq Kurt Nimmo | It turns out the Libyan rebel commander is al-Qaeda, that is to say an intelligence operative.

Ron Paul On Libyan Attack Infowars.com | Appearing on CNN, Paul roundly criticized Obama’s war against the people of Libya.

Censored TV Ad Banned from Airwaves A television ad for EndofAmericaVideo.com that features Alex Jones’ narration has been banned from broadcasting on nearly every major cable and satellite network.

Nearly Half of U.S. EPA’s West Coast Radiation Monitors Might be Out Sick Eight of the EPA’s 18 West Coast monitors might not be working!

Lack of data from Japan distresses nuclear experts Nuclear scientists and policy experts say the quality and quantity of information coming out of Fukushima has left gaping holes in their understanding of the nuclear disaster nearly two weeks after it began.

High radiation levels at Japanese plant raise new worry Highly radioactive water has been found at a second reactor at a crippled nuclear power station in Japan, the plant’s operator said, as fears of contamination escalated two weeks after a huge earthquake and tsunami battered the complex.

Libyan Rebel Leader Admits Links To “Al Qaeda” Fighters The commander of anti Gaddafi rebels forces in Libya has admitted that among the ranks of those fighting against the government are islamic militants who have fought and killed US troops in Iraq, otherwise known as “al qaeda” fighters.

Gates Instructs Syrian Military to Impose Color Revolution As we have documented, the so-called popular revolutions spreading across the Middle East are orchestrated affairs unleashed by the globalists, their NGOs, and agencies of the U.S. government.

Paul Watson: Japanese Authorities Admit Deadly MOX Plutonium Reactor Is Leaking Paul Watson sits in for Alex and leads the discussion on the latest developments in Japan.

Will Financial Problems In Portugal Cause The European Debt Crisis To Spiral Out Of Control? Most Americans have no idea just how bad the financial problems over in Europe are right now. The truth is that the entire European financial system is teetering on the brink of disaster.

Gaddafi: America’s easy target? The US opts not to interfere in the internal affairs of its allies in the region, no matter how grave the situation becomes.

Libyan rebels regain Ajdabiya after RAF Tornado jets wreak havoc on Gaddafi’s heavy units Libyan rebels have regained control of the eastern gateway city of Ajdabiya after international airstrikes on Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.

Deaths reported as demos held in Syrian cities Protesters took the streets in a number of Syrian cities Friday to demand major change, dismissing promises of reforms by the authorities as rights activists reported deaths in police shootings.

NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan Claims Civilians A NATO airstrike targeting Taliban fighters accidentally killed and wounded an unspecified number of civilians Friday in the southern province of Helmand, one of the most insecure regions in the country, NATO officials said on Saturday.

NATO Aggression on Yugoslavia: Challenging an Illegal War The Centre for Research on Globalization presents Diana Johnstone, filmed in Belgrade, Serbia at the March 24, 2009 commemoration of NATO aggression against Yugoslavia.

Europe wrestles with debt crisis (Washington Post) [ Yet they're doing these wars like they have money to burn. And, at the rate they're printing these fiat currencies, burning will be about all the worthless paper will be good for.

350 British special forces already deep inside Libya… and more are ready to be deployed Hundreds of British troops have been deployed deep inside Libya targeting Colonel Gaddafi’s forces – and more are on standby.

Japanese Authorities Admit Deadly MOX Plutonium Reactor Is Leaking Paul Joseph Watson | Has cover-up of leakage been ongoing since massive March 14 explosion?

Household wealth down 23% in 2 years – Fed A rare survey of U.S. households, first performed in 2007 but repeated in 2009 in order to gauge the effects of the recession, reveals the median net worth of households fell from $125,000 in 2007 to $96,000 in 2009.

The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial Those of you who watch financial TV or read the financial media have probably heard the current market referred to as the “nothing matters” market since it is supposedly ignoring a spate of negative news.

As Adjusted Monetary Base Rises By Half A Trillion In 2011, Treasury Runs Out Of Debt Ceiling Delay Measures

Gold And Silver Are Thriving While The U.S. Dollar Is Dying Have you heard the news? Gold hit another new record high on Thursday. It reached $1447.40 before settling back a bit. Most people responded to that news with a yawn.

FOUND: MISSING LINK BETWEEN APES AND MAN.... These stories, and the many like it, are old news and I subscribe to the more studied view that there is no “missing link” per se and in my view they are distinctions without significant differences.

350 British special forces already deep inside Libya… and more are ready to be deployed Hundreds of British troops have been deployed deep inside Libya targeting Colonel Gaddafi’s forces – and more are on standby.

Household wealth down 23% in 2 years – Fed A rare survey of U.S. households, first performed in 2007 but repeated in 2009 in order to gauge the effects of the recession, reveals the median net worth of households fell from $125,000 in 2007 to $96,000 in 2009.

The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial ... ignoring a spate of negative news.

As Adjusted Monetary Base Rises By Half A Trillion In 2011, Treasury Runs Out Of Debt Ceiling Delay Measures

OPINION | If a war is not worth a tax, or spending cuts, then perhaps it is not worth doing at all.

Household wealth down 23% in 2 years – Fed A rare survey of U.S. households, first performed in 2007 but repeated in 2009 in order to gauge the effects of the recession, reveals the median net worth of households fell from $125,000 in 2007 to $96,000 in 2009.

The Stock Market Is In A State Of Denial Those of you who watch financial TV or read the financial media have probably heard the current market referred to as the “nothing matters” market since it is supposedly ignoring a spate of negative news.

Gold And Silver Are Thriving While The U.S. Dollar Is Dying Have you heard the news? Gold hit another new record high on Thursday. It reached $1447.40 before settling back a bit. Most people responded to that news with a yawn.

United Nations Nuclear Bank Cassandra Anderson | The UN nuclear bank is another piece of UN Agenda 21, the blueprint for total control and depopulation.

Libyan Rebel Leader Admits Links To “Al Qaeda” Fighters Steve Watson | Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi admitted that he had previously recruited fundamentalists to fight in Iraq.

Gates Instructs Syrian Military to Impose Color Revolution Kurt Nimmo | Defense Secretary joins globalist NGOs and calls for Syrian government to be deposed.

Japanese Authorities Admit Deadly MOX Plutonium Reactor Is Leaking Paul Joseph Watson | Has cover-up of leakage been ongoing since massive March 14 explosion?

Libyan Rebel Leader Admits Links To “Al Qaeda” Fighters The commander of anti Gaddafi rebels forces in Libya has admitted that among the ranks of those fighting against the government are islamic militants who have fought and killed US troops in Iraq, otherwise known as “al qaeda” fighters.

Gates Instructs Syrian Military to Impose Color Revolution As we have documented, the so-called popular revolutions spreading across the Middle East are orchestrated affairs unleashed by the globalists, their NGOs, and agencies of the U.S. government.

350 British special forces already deep inside Libya… and more are ready to be deployed Hundreds of British troops have been deployed deep inside Libya targeting Colonel Gaddafi’s forces – and more are on standby.

Syrian Uprising Is Latest Globalist-Backed Coup d’état “A prominent Syrian opposition figure says the country is “a bomb, ready to explode” as protesters demand freedom and an end to president Bashar al-Assad’s “cancerous regime,”" reports Australia’s ABC News.

American Interventionism: Protecting the Profit Machine America is the spawn of empire building and from the start has itself engaged heavily in that activity. In nearly all cases it has shown a preference for bribery, coercion, intimidation and force over diplomacy and cooperation.

Economic Terrorists: That’s You Turban wearing cavemen were never what the “War on Terror” was about.

Saudis want their troops out of Bahrain Hundreds of Saudi anti-government protesters have taken to the streets in the country’s Eastern Province, condemning the kingdom’s military intervention in Bahrain.

Follow The Fall Of The Canadian Government Live The no confidence vote in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Canadian government is expected to start momentarily. Just like two days ago when Portugal fell, this event will likely be seen as a buying opportunity of both the USDCAD and the CADUSD.

The Obama doctrine (Washington Post) [ The 'wobama doctrine'? Also known as 'b* s*' or 'bush s***'. Distinctions without a significant difference, one thing is certain. Mr. Milbank's article is nauseating.]Where Bush was all bright lines, Obama is subtle and situational.

FOUND: MISSING LINK BETWEEN APES AND MAN.... `These stories, and the many like it, are old news and I subscribe to the more studied view that there is no “missing link” per se and in my view they are distinctions without significant differences.`